The Disappearance of Clementine
by little-sunshine11
Summary: After dying in a gunfight with the New Frontier, Clementine wakes up not in the after life, but in a world where the apocalypse never occurred. She knows it happened, though. She's not crazy and she's going to find someone who believes her, all the while trying to survive eighth grade and the real, very serious problems the adults face. Can Clementine survive a normal life?
1. O' Death

She was going fast. Her consciousness becoming more muddled by the second as she placed a hand on the gaping bullet wound on her stomach. Kate had gotten shot like this-she was recovering- but you don't come back from a shotgun. If it wasn't for AJ she probably would have killed herself a long time ago. After Kenny, Jane, and the fall of Wellington, any will she had to live dissipated. But, now that she was actually dying, Clementine was scared. Scared of the unknown. But most of all, she was scared for little AJ, who now had nobody left to look after him. Would Javier and Kate take him in? Would David even let him go or indoctrinate him to become a brainwashed psychopath like his other goons?

She coughs and chokes on her own blood, gasping desperately for a breath. Her legs begin to give out and she falls on the pavement. Clementine should have known going with the New Frontier was a mistake. If she hadn't of, AJ wouldn't be stuck there with those clowns, and they would be on their way to Alexandria. She would have made it too.

Clementine's eyes lock with Gabe, who's jaw is hanging almost comically. She would laugh if the situation wasn't so dire. He was such a dork. The teenage boy rushes to her amidst the gunfire, nearly tripping over his own feet in an attempt to catch her. It burns when he pulls her into an embrace and she lets out a scream. Javier and Tripp are almost done wiping out David's men even while their leader is begging them to stop. They already killed his daughter- he couldn't lose his son as well.

"Clementine!" Gabe cries, cupping her face with his hands. His dark eyes are wide in panic and he looks like he's on the verge of tears. "Shit, shit, shit!" She cringes, groaning when he places his hands over the wound in an attempt to keep her from bleeding out. It wouldn't work, but it was nice of him to try. It was the thought that counted.

"You're going to be fine, Clementine!" Kate's voice sounds so far away, but she can feel her petite fingers brush some of her curly, black hair out of her eyes. "Fuck, Javier! Javier, get over here right now!"

The sky was a bright blue. God, the last time it looked that beautiful was back before the world went to shit. The light seemed to be getting larger, and larger, becoming more brilliant every second. Was this the light you saw when you died? It was magnificent. She couldn't look away even if she tried. By now, Javier and Tripp are standing over her, their voices becoming more blurred. Garbled as if they were underwater. Of course, when she thought of the water her mind went to Luke. Would she see him again?

"Clem… She… Blood… Too… Much…" That sounded like Tripp.

Javier comes in like static. "Nothing… To… Do… She's… Dying…"

She can't see them anymore. All she can see is the sky and how vibrant it is- there are no clouds- it reminds her of a tropical sea. After she was done with school, her parents were planning on taking her to Hawaii for a vacation. God, she couldn't wait to see them again. She hoped she could see them again, and Lee, and everyone else. If not, then dying was a waste. Clementine tried to swallow, gagging and sputtering blood. Someone, she guessed Kate, was wiping it away with a cloth.

The older woman's sobbing. Clementine can hear her muffled cries for a few seconds before she goes completely deaf. The sun is taking up her sight and she shakily reaches for her hat, hoping that someone will take it. They do and Clementine can only assume it's Javier.

"F-For… AJ…" She whispers before coughing again. It doesn't hurt to breath anymore. It's annoying and choking on your own blood is by far the most uncomfortable thing she's ever experienced, but it's not painful. Clementine can feel her body shut down. Everything was so beautiful. So, so beautiful. "Take…" She gasps and her eyes widen as the light almost completely surrounds her vision, overwhelming the bright blue of the sky. "T-Take… care of him…"

She doesn't know if it sounds unintelligible- like gurgled groans- or not, but she hoped to God they got their message. Javier and Kate were good people. If there was any group she could trust with her little goofball it was them.

Then, the world became white and Clementine took a final, shuddering breath.

* * *

 _Beep_

 _Beep_

 _ **Beep**_

Light amber eyes slowly open to the sound of the alarm and instinctually the teenaged girl rolls over, grumbling in annoyance. Her bed is so comfortable-she doesn't want to wake up. But, as soon as she closes them, they snap open again. An alarm? Clementine bolted up and put a hand to her chest, frowning when she felt soft flannel. Her heart was beating, so she wasn't dead. But… but, she was shot and she knew she had died. Clementine could remember taking her final breath and the light. They always talked about that light when you died!

She turned to her left and noticed the clock on her old nightstand still ringing. Hesitantly, she turned it off before looking around the room. Her room. Clementine slowly stood up and examined the purple walls, the comfortable, fuzzy black carpet, and the new, modern furniture. It was almost unrecognizable until she noticed the butterfly handles on her closet door and her old bookshelf, once full of coloring books and children's literature, now held nothing but young adult fiction and albums. She knelt down and traced the smooth, hardback cover of Harry Potter. This was the perfect room for a teenaged girl.

Then she saw the life-sized cardboard cut-out of a boy slightly older than her with a mop of hair covering his eyes, a large smirk on his face, and his hands in his pocket. She eyed it from top to bottom in horror and couldn't help but blush. He was really cute. She put a hand to her mouth when she noticed her drawings were no longer up on her wall, but instead posters of this boy and some band were plastered on nearly every corner. She had never even heard of these guys before!

She continued to stare at the cutout as the door opened and she froze when she heard the most divine sound in the world. Her mother's laughter.

"Good Lord, Clem, I knew you liked Jason, but I didn't think it was this bad."

Clementine slowly turned her head and gaped when she saw her mother… she leaned over the doorway, playfully smirking as she always did. She looked somewhat older- her once dark brown hair was now streaked with gray, there was a more defined crinkle in her eyes when she smiled- but it was her. The last time she had saw her parents they were… they were… Clementine's breath hitched and the tears she fought to contain for years began to pour like a dam breaking. Her mother's smile turned into a frown and her brows furrowed. Taking a step forward, Diana put her arms out and motioned her into a hug. "Clementine, baby," she whispered in the same tone that used to lull her to sleep. "What's wrong?"

"You…you…" She pointed at her and sobbed. Her vision blurred. "You're okay! You're alive!"

"Baby, why wouldn't I be?"

Clementine ran to her and buried her head into her chest. She took a deep breath and smiled when she smelt the familiar perfume Diana always wore. God, it was her favorite smell in the world and it made her feel so safe. When was the last time she felt safe like this? Her mother gently ran a hand through her disheveled hair and rocked her. "Oh, baby, what's wrong?" She asked, pulling Clementine from the embrace and cupping her face, stroking her cheek with her thumb.

"Y-You and daddy… I saw you in Savannah and the whole place was overwhelmed with walkers and… and you guys were one of them and I didn't know what to do and I missed you so much and-"

A finger is put on her mouth and her mother stares at her like she has two heads. Clementine must have sounded hysterical, but Diana knew. She had to have known what happened in Savannah when the outbreak started. She was there. "Clem, I don't know what you're talking about."

"T-The walkers!" Clementine cried, clinging on to the green fabric of her shirt. "Mom, you and daddy went down to Savannah and left me with Sandra when the outbreak started! You guys got bit and I saw you in Savannah with Lee! I've been waiting four years to see you again! B-But, I'm here now! We're a family again!"

"Lee Everett?"

"Yes!" She grinned and nodded. "Yes, him!"

Diana nervously glanced around the room and Clementine could feel her heart drop. "Mom?" Was this a dream? She thought to herself.

"Clementine, I think you're watching too many zombie movies," Diana chuckles. "You had a nightmare, sweetheart."

"But-"

"Clementine, there are no walkers, Lee Everett is Sandra's history professor, and you just saw me last night."

"W-What?"

Diana smiled and patted her arm. "Come on, sweetheart. Your father made breakfast and you're going to want to eat up fast because you and I have some errands to run." She rolled her eyes when Clementine's jaw dropped. "Clem, you're going to catch flies."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** As you can tell, this is kind of based on the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya... I don't know, I kind of like the idea of Clem waking up and knowing about the apocalypse, but no one else knows... Or do they? I won't spoil that because that won't come in for a while. Since Clementine is a teenager still, I've aged up the characters._

 _Also, like most teenaged girls, Clementine does have posters of a One Direction knock off and a cardboard cutout of a Justin Bieber clone. I kind of wanted to have that side of her come out._


	2. Little Wonders

Breakfast was amazing. Her dad always made the best eggs and bacon-something she had craved for four years- and she was on cloud nine just seeing him again. Clementine giggled when she noticed everything was shaped to be a smiley face. This was paradise. God, if this was a dream she hoped she never woke up.

Ed looks up from the paper he's reading and smiles. The last time she saw him, he was a rotting walker in the streets, his arm having been mostly chewed up. Both her parents were healthy, happy, and alive. "You usually complain when I make the smiley eggs. Y'know, that you're not a little kid anymore."

"I just…" Clementine began, fighting back tears again. She didn't need to look like a weirdo to her parents. "I just love you guys so much."

"We love you too, Clem," he replies, his brows raising. "Damn, who took over your body? You've never acted like this before."

"I don't know," Diana says as she sits down beside her husband with her own breakfast. "But, I like them."

Clementine ravenously took another bite of her bacon. It had been so long since she ate real food. Not that processed canned shit, but real, honest to God food. "I love the smiley eggs," she said in between swallows before taking a large sip of orange juice. She missed orange juice the most. You never know what you appreciate until it's gone and it was these little moments Clementine missed the most. "And I love you, daddy."

Ed's eyes widen before turning to Diana. "Are we sure she wasn't abducted by aliens or something?"

"No, silly!" Clementine laughed.

"Alright, because the last time we talked you were complaining about not going out with Becca on Friday." He bit into his muffin and dipped a bit of into his coffee. He was so weird like that, but it was one of those little moments, and Clementine chuckled.

"I think I'd rather spend the weekend with you guys, anyway," she replied, watching her parents stare at each other in shock.

"Is she running a fever?" Diana whispered. "Clementine, are you alright?"

"Yep," she said as she walked over to the sink and washed her dishes off. "So, when are we going to the store? I'm excited for today!"

Her parents were still awe-struck as Clementine raced upstairs to get changed. It had been so long since she had been to the store besides Howes-if you could even count that as a store at the point- and she was thrilled to see everything again. This was more exciting than Disney World! She changed out of her pajamas into something more fashionable: shorts, a slightly too big t-shirt (having that cute Jason or whoever on it) that were tied up in the front, sneakers that looked pretty expensive, and her hat. Clementine couldn't help but grin and check herself out when she got a good look of herself in the mirror while she was brushing her teeth. God, she looked so cool. Like one of the teenagers in those shows she used to watch on Disney Channel with Sandra.

"Clementine!" She can hear her mother cry downstairs ten minutes later. "Clementine, are you coming or what?"

She washed her mouth and traced her tongue over her pearly whites. Dental hygiene had been hard during the apocalypse and it was a miracle when she could actually brush her teeth. Her teeth always had a yellow tint to them, not like she was worried about that when she was caring for a newborn and running from walkers, but it was nice to keep your appearance up. When you're clean, you feel good about yourself. And boy did she feel good about herself right now. "Yeah," she called, "I'm coming down right now!"

* * *

She beat her mother out the door, running to the familiar, black SUV she drove. It had been forever since she saw that car- back when Lee had first found her- and by then, it was covered in dirt, grime, and walker guts. But now it looked like it was from straight from the assembly line. Her mom had always made sure it was clean at all times. Clementine jumped into the front seat and quickly put on her seatbelt. Feeling the leather and smelling it, she leaned back and closed her eyes, sighing. This couldn't have been a dream… This had to be real.

Diana started up the car and chuckled when she noticed her daughter's euphoria. "I have never seen anyone so happy to go to the grocery store before." Clementine beamed and snuggled further into the seat, causing the older woman to laugh harder. "You are a strange child, Clementine."

"Yeah, but I'm your strange child."

"Yes, yes you are."

The radio was on- playing some song about the hills having eyes or something- and Clementine bobbed her head along to it. The beat, the singing, everything about it was amazing and she realized how long it had been since she even heard the Top 40 hits. Four years of music she missed. Damn, the biggest song she remembered was something about Diamonds in the Sky. The next song was about a group of friends who were heathens- which made Clementine think about her old groups with a chuckle- and she turned it up. This was her favorite by far and she was never going to get it out of her head.

"They never play this song anymore," Diana says, "which is a damn shame because it's one of the only good ones that came out this year."

The teenager gasps when the beat drops. This was an awakening. "I love it!" She whispered. "This is the best song I've ever heard."

"But, you're cheating on your future husband!" Her mother puts a hand to her chest, feigning horror as Clementine's eyes widen. "What would Jason think?"

She shrugged. "I don't know nor do I care," she said as her mother's fake horror turned real. "All I know is that I got to listen to these guys in concert-" She stopped when they entered the town, her jaw dropping.

It's weird seeing the streets so lively and clean. Before, litter, corpses, and grass barely beginning to grow covered the sidewalks. The shops were open- some more busy than others- but, there was life. She saw an old woman walking her dog, cops putting tickets on cars that were parked in the fire lanes, and people hanging out at the Starbucks and various other coffee shops. Clementine puts her hands on the window and stared like a child in a candy store, her eyes lighting up. There's so much going on that it seemed eery that the last time she was here everything was still. Someone passes by them blaring rap and she examines each and every bumper sticker on the car in front of them when they stop. Some show off their family with little stick figures, others have their pets, and other have their political orientation. One large, red truck, which she swears she's seen before, has a fishing pole rack in the back, holding about three poles. Her eyes narrow when she sees the license plate… Fort Lauderdale. That's Kenny's truck! Oh my God!

Diana smiles and turns to her. "We're behind Kenny, how funny is that!"

"You know him?" Clementine asked.

"Clementine, him and his family moved into the neighborhood four years ago! Of course, I know him!" She taps on the horn to get the Floridian's attention. "Let's see if he knows we're here."

She can see Kenny turn his head back to them angrily, probably thinking it's some jackass beeping him before he relaxes. Clementine can't see his face but she knows he's smiling, and he waves to them. Clementine beams and waves back before the light turns green and he drives off, making a left and entering the supermarket parking lot. "Would you look at that!" Diana said. "What a coincidence, huh?"

Clementine nods and grins like a mad man when they turn into the somewhat crowded lot, pulling into a space right next to his truck. Kenny's already out and making his way towards them by the time they stop the car. He's not as unkempt as he was the last time she saw him on the playground- he's got the old mustache which is nearly gray, he's wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and boots, and his eye is no longer damaged- he tips his hat to her and smiles. "Well, if it isn't the lovely Diana Marsh and Clementine-" He can barely finish before the teenager runs to hug him. She buries her face into his shirt and smiles when the scent of nicotine and fish guts greets her nostril. He must have just gotten back from a fishing trip. "Someone's happy to see me!"

"Clementine!" Diana frowns as she pulls away, smiling up at the older man.

"Your beard!" Clementine said and pointed at his chin. "It's gone!"

Kenny laughed and rubbed his now clean-shaven chin. "Yep," he began, "Katjaa gave me an ultimatum. Either I shave the beard or sleep on the couch!" He crossed his arms and Clementine giggled. "It's fine if I have it to be her work's annual Santa Claus, but only then. I kinda liked it, too."

"How is Katjaa?" Diana asked. "I heard they're moving her office to this plaza."

"Yeah, she's not too happy about it either, but they'll have more room now." Kenny shrugged. "Besides, she'll be closer to home so Duck won't have to worry about being late to his baseball practice." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Did I tell you my boy won the championship for his team? Huge home run! It went out right of the park!" Clementine blinked when he took out a picture of a freckled teenage boy standing beside both Katjaa and Kenny in a red and white baseball uniform holding a bat. No way was that Duck! Duck was small and skinny, but in the photo, he nearly towered over Kenny and the muscles in his arms were defined. She wouldn't have been able to recognize him if it wasn't for that goofy grin plastered on his face. Even his hair, which had been in a buzz cut, was grown out.

"Oh, Kenny," Diana says, "he's getting so big."

"I know," he replies with a frown, "he's eating me out of house and home. The kid just turned fifteen and he's still not done growing, God help me. At least he's calmed down for the most part."

Clementine's still examining the picture when Kenny puts it back. "Yeah, he's a good looking kid, I know." She blushes when he hears that and lowers her hat over her face. Maybe she was dreaming because she would never be caught dead thinking Duck of all people was cute. Well, she was technically dead… Kenny snickers at her embarrassment and pats her on the shoulder. "I'm just kidding, Clementine!"

"Well, we'll let you go, Kenny," The older woman smiles and puts a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

He nodded. "Alright," he paused and looked down at Clementine. "You know, Duck's having a game on Saturday. Now, I don't know what you crazy teenage girls do on the weekend, but I would really appreciate it if you went. He hasn't seen you in forever and I think it would mean the world for him-"

"Of course," she interrupts, ignoring her mother fighting back a smirk. "I mean… I'd love to go, yeah."

"Great!" Kenny cried, beaming. "It starts around noon at Macon Field. Katjaa and I can pick you up and maybe afterward we can go explore the town. How's that sound?"

Macon. The last time she and Kenny were down in Macon, they had been staying in the old Motor Inn with the group… the original group. The Everett Pharmacy was there as well and that meant his parents and brother were alive. He was alive. They were all alive. She could see them all again. Clementine took a shaky breath and nodded, grinning. "Yes! That's-yes!"

"Well, okay then, little lady," he chuckled, tipping his hat. "I guess I'll see you there." And with that, he walked over to get his cart and made his way to the mart's large automatic doors.

Diana's brows furrowed and she stared at the other with a puzzled expression. "You haven't hung out with Duck in years," she said as they began to venture to the front of the store. She grabbed a cart and became more troubled when Clementine began to play with the automatic door. It was if it was if the girl was a toddler again. "W-What's with this sudden change in attitude?" She watched as her daughter gaped as they entered, racing to the produce aisle like a mad woman and staring at every fruit and vegetable with a look of wonder. "I mean I don't mind it," she began as Clementine picked up a perfect, Red Delicious apple. "It's just… well, you're usually complaining the entire time we're here."

Clementine held the fruit to her chest and closed her eyes, sighing dreamily. She hadn't eaten an apple since Lee gave her one on the St. John's farm and it was her favorite fruit. "Yes, Clementine, that's an apple." She heard her mother mumble. "You're causing a scene. Everyone's staring at us."

She opened her eyes and looked up at Diana, beaming.

"Clementine, you're hugging an apple!" Diana hissed, cringing when she noticed the shoppers gawking at them. "I'll get you the apple if you stop, Jesus Christ. Just stop." She took the fruit from Clementine's hands and put it in a bag. "Good lord, what's wrong with you, child?"

The other shrugged dreamily before wandering to the cereal aisle. Most of the cereal before was dust by now or full of flies. There were so many to choose from and Clementine's mouth turned into an 'o' shape as she examined the boxes. There was Coco Bat Balls! Oh, and _Lucky Charms_! She loved _Lucky Charms_! On the other side of the aisle were snack cakes and cookies! She gasped and picked up a box full of Yummy Cupcakes. They usually went stale a week after you bought them! It had been years since she last took a bite and got to taste their creamy, chocolate filling. She hugged the box and ran off to the next aisle, eager to explore more.

* * *

After scaring the workers in the bakery, watching the lobsters swim around the tank near the sushi for a good five minutes, and crying when she saw ice cream, Clementine was sure her mother was probably going to have a heart attack. She used to when she would wander off. Then again, she was a teenager now. Clementine had more freedom, responsibilities, and what not, but the whole time she was busy just trying to survive. It was as if the normal world continued on without her. Surely, there was someone else who remembered.

She met up with her mother at the front of the store by the cash registers. Diana was paying for the almost insane amount of groceries- though considering she was close to starving for four years- this whole place seemed insane. There was so, _so_ much food in the card and on the small conveyor belt. Diana smirked and rolled her eyes when she saw the Yummy Cupcakes before taking it out of her hand and handing it to the clerk. He was tall- towering over the two women- and so gangly. His light brown hair was shaggy, his chin was adorned with stubble in a sad attempt to grow a beard, and he wore a college hoodie over his uniform. Clementine had to do a double-take when she saw him.

Her mom takes the now bagged groceries and puts them in the cart. "How's school going for you, Ben? I heard you're almost done."

"Y-Yeah," his voice cracks slightly and Clementine fights back a laugh. Yep, this was Ben all right. Unlike Duck, he seemed to not age a day. "I'm graduating next year and then I'm hoping to get picked up by Doug's company."

"Wow, that didn't take long!" Diana replies. "When I graduated college, it took me forever to find a job."

Ben nodded and blushed when he noticed the teenage girl grinning at him. "Well, Doug's always been talking about convincing his boss to pick me up after I'm done. He's the reason why I'm studying computer science and graphic design."

Doug was okay, too. That was good to know. She didn't remember him well, Lee had saved Carley instead, but he seemed like a nice guy.

"A-Anyway," he stammered, looking down at Clementine awkwardly, "you excited for the eight grade?"

"I guess," she shrugged. _The last time I was in school, I was in the third grade. Or was it the second? Shit, I can't remember, she thought._ "It'll be nice to go back."

"That was my favorite year!" Ben smiled as Diana finished paying. "You get to go on a lot of cool field trips and stuff. Like, we went to New York City and Washington D.C."

Clementine had never been to New York City. She and AJ were going to make an attempt to go to Washington before… well… you know. There had been a large community, Alexandria, that had been taking in survivors. "I've always wanted to go to New York City," she said.

"It's so much fun up there, but it's kinda claustrophobic," Ben began, "and it smells sometimes…" He began to go off about how he stepped in dog shit in Central Park with Travis and his ex-girlfriend, Jenny Pitcher. Diana glanced at Clementine and motioned towards the door. Yep, it was time to go.

"Bye, Ben!"

"Oh, and don't take a picture with Elmo!" They heard him yell as they walk out. "You see Elmo, you run! Don't make the same mistake I made unless you want to get your ass beat by Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, and Spongebob!"

* * *

"That was certainly eventful, huh?" Diana started up the car and put on her seatbelt. Clementine pulled out her apple and munched on it greedily. God, it tasted so good. The teenager exhaled loudly before turning to her mother, nodding. "Should have gotten one for myself," the older woman smiled.

"It is noon."

"Yeah," she huffed, tapping on the leather steering wheel. "Damn, I guess I'll stop at _McDonald's_ or something."

Clementine smirked.

"Yeah, lunch of champions, I know," Diana smirked, rolling her eyes.

"Could I get something, too?" Clementine asked. It had been forever since she had a Big Mac.

"Sure," she said, suddenly going through her purse. "Oh, I nearly forgot! Your father asked if we could stop at Howes real quick."

Clementine's eyes widened and she froze mid bite.

"I know, I know, I hate that place, too," Diana laughed. "But, your dad's looking for a valve to the pool. He wants to get it up and running this week. After that, we can go get _McDonald's_."

"O-Oh, okay," Clementine said weakly. She wouldn't dare disobey her mother and weird her out even more. Besides, it would be fun to swim in her old pool again. When was the last time she had gotten to swim? Well, the lake but… yeah. Hopefully, her mom would be fast. That place brought back bad memories.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I love little slice of life moments, especially for a character who has been through so much like Clementine. I can see her appreciating all the little things- those little moments, or wonders (yes this chapter and whole fic was inspired by Little Wonders by Rob Thomas). A trip to the grocery store may seem so dull, menial, or routine to us, but to Clementine, it's thrilling. I know some fics have the characters dying and living happily, but I wanted to show Clementine's joy. How every little thing (like an apple and going out with her mom) is a treasure because you don't know when it'll be gone. She's not letting go anymore.**_

 _ **On a funny note, yes Ben was beat up by Sesame Street characters and Spongebob in Times Square. That's such a Ben thing and considering Travis runs his mouth, it was bound to happen. Will he go into detail? Maybe.**_


	3. Howes

The last time she stood in the front parking lot of Howes was about a day after Jane had hung herself, and that was the last time she wanted to step foot in there- or any other hardware store for that matter. Howes brought back bad memories. Horrible, bloody memories. Between Jane, Carver, Sarita, Reggie, and Carlos, Howes seemed to be synonymous with death. The parking lot, once overwhelmed with a sea of walkers, was replaced with cars. An endless sea of cars ranging in all different colors, shapes, and sizes. Clementine slowly got out of the SUV and looked around the area, watching the people pull out, park, and walk in and out of the store. Never before had she seen the place so busy. **_So full of life._**

"We'll be in and out. I don't want to stay in there too long…" she can hear her mother say as she notices a man looking eerily like Luke walking hand in hand with a toddler. He's laughing as the little girl, presumably his daughter, is going on about a bird she saw in the store. The little girl is overdramatic- and while she's younger than AJ- she's much more vocal. Her tiny arm waves wildly as she gets more into her story. How something as ordinary as a tiny bird was the most exciting thing she'd ever seen. Clementine frowned and crossed her arms. Maybe if he hadn't of drowned or if he and Jane met in different circumstances, that could have been Luke with his child.

"Clementine?" Diana's nearly across the lot. "Are you coming or what?"

She shakes her head, coming back to reality and sighs. "Y-Yeah," she sprints over, huffing. "Sorry about that. I just zoned out, that's all." Her mother's brows raise, and for a minute Clementine think she's going to be questioned, but Diana shrugs.

"Alright, then," she says, dropping the subject, but Clementine can hear an anxious edge in her voice. Clementine decides it's best at that point to act as normal as possible. But, after everything she experienced, Clementine knew she'd never be normal again. Simply just putting on a facade.

Howes was a mess. Emphasis on was because when they first entered, Clementine thought she was in a different store. Everything was so neat and organized; in fact, it was too organized. They walked down the long hall that separated the aisles that Carver had once stripped when he took over the super store. The boards that were once used to make the fences around the perimeter were neatly stacked in different rows in one aisle based on their measurements. In another, were rows upon rows of tools, including crowbars. Clementine paused when she had first seen them, remembering when Kenny beat Carver to death. That was when things really started to go downhill.

Diana hums to herself and puts a finger to her chin. "Valve… valve… We need a valve…" she muttered, more likely to herself than to Clementine, before turning down one of the aisles. Clementine followed, her hands going into the pockets of her baggy shorts. There were thousands of pipes, valves, and switches contained in hundreds of containers. Carver probably melted all these down to make bullets and then used the racks to make beds. "Damn, there's so many to choose from." Diana frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Your father never told me what size he needed."

Just then, as if they were either sent by the Lord or had surveillance comparable to the fucking New Frontier, a worker made their way over to them. Immediately, Clementine clenched her fist, her whole body becoming tense. His stupid hair, his stupid goatee, and worst of all his stupid fucking face could only belong to Troy. Just her luck this asshole worked here and decided to help them of all people. Diana didn't seem to notice her daughter, thank God, and smiled at the man. He leaned back on the rack and smirked- which Clementine was sure employees weren't supposed to do to paying customers- and she fought with all her power to not grab a pipe and beat his ass right there.

"So," he began, his voice already grating her nerves, "what seems to be the problem here?"

"Oh, I'm looking for a valve here for the pool," Diana replies. "My husband wants to get it opened up this week, and he's too stubborn to call a service, so he's going to do it himself!" She attempted to joke with him, but he doesn't laugh. In fact, he scoffs and rolls his eyes. The apocalypse didn't make him an asshole after all. He always was one! Clementine's eyes narrowed and she bit her lip, taking a deep breath. If there were still walkers all over the place and nobody gave a shit about laws, that would have been the last thing he ever did, because you never disrespect Diana Marsh. Ever. Especially not in front of her daughter, who unknowingly to them, has killed dozens of people and had no qualms in doing so again to scum such as himself. Troy's original death seemed to be mercy as she thought of the various ways she could kill him. Her mother was a saint and deserved to be treated as such, thank you.

"Lady, what size of the pool is it." Her mother copies her daughter's expression and tilts her head. Thankfully, Diana was never one to be stepped on, and Clementine remembered where she got her _'attitude'_ (as Javier called it) from. As sweet as she was, Diana had a zero bullshit tolerance; especially from a rude hick like Troy.

She crossed her arms. "About 20x40," her voice is stern and her eyes never leave the man. Tensions were so thick Clementine could cut it with a knife. In fact, they're both still glaring at Troy when he kneels down and grabs a medium sized valve from the bottom container. He hands it to her and returns the cold stares with one of his own. "Thank you." Diana didn't sound thankful.

"There are signs on each of the boxes," Troy says gruffly. "If you had just looked you would have found it."

"Well, sorry," she replies, and Clementine has to fight against every fiber of her being to not act. "But," her mother smiles through gritted teeth, "at least I know now."

The former guard says nothing but turns around and walks away, muttering under his breath about how stupid customers always wasted his 'goddamn time'. Diana waved goodbye to him cheerfully. "A stupid customer like myself is paying your salary!" She cried in a sing-song voice and Troy blew them off. "Have a wonderful day, sir. I hope you find happiness!" She turned to Clementine. "He's clearly a very miserable man. I feel sorry for him."

 _I don't,_ Clementine thought to herself, and she flipped him off when the older woman wasn't looking. If she couldn't shoot him in the balls, at least she could get the satisfaction of telling him to fuck off, and he couldn't do a goddamn thing about it. Sadly, he didn't see, but another employee did, and they snorted. Apparently, Troy wasn't very popular in the workplace either. She then went with her mother outside to the garden center- which had been their prison- was vibrant, beautiful, and full of flowers, vegetables, and other essentials. If she wasn't reminded of so much horrible shit, Clementine would've enjoyed it. In a bird bath, pecking at a ladybug, was a tiny robin. Most likely, the same one that little girl had been going on about. She smiled softly and watched it for a few seconds; AJ always liked to watch the animals when they were out. He used to call birds 'teeters' because of their tweets, but his favorite were the 'hoppies', or bunnies. Only she could understand what he was saying, and she prayed the Garcia's would eventually catch on. They were a team and as young as AJ was, he was extremely intelligent. Too many adults underestimated him, and Clementine could relate because they did the same to her. Hell, they still did.

"I hate bird baths. They might as well be motels for mosquitos, you know?" Clementine jumped at the voice behind her and put a hand to her chest. The bird flew away. She turned around to see a worker, probably in her mid-twenties at the most, leaning back on a cart with a grin. She had a pretty face; large hazel eyes, a petite nose, and bow shaped lips. her medium length brown hair was put up in a messy ponytail and she blew some of her side bangs out of the way. Clementine wouldn't have been able to recognize her if it wasn't for her name tag and familiar voice. **_Jane._** She did a double take because no way in hell was that her. Jane's head was nearly shaved! Of course, Kenny had a beard before, and she probably wasn't worried about walkers getting a fistful of her ponytail.

"Shit, were you watching that bird," Jane frowned, "sorry."

"No," Clementine replied, hoping to not sound too rattled. It was just the last time she saw Jane, she was swinging from a noose, and definitely didn't look like the woman she was currently talking too. "I mean, it's fine…"

"Okay," her old friend said, biting her lip. There was silence between the two for a couple seconds, which felt like minutes before the woman began to speak again. "You know what the worst part of working outside is?" She asked. Clementine was taken aback by her extroverted nature. Jane had never been one for conversations before, but here she was trying to chat right away. Then again, the apocalypse had changed so many people- not even Clementine herself was spared. This must have been the real Jane. Who she had been before her life had gone to utter shit and caused her to bottle her emotions up.

"What?"

"The heat," she replied, wiping some sweat from her brow. "It's hot as balls out here."

Now that she mentioned it, Clementine was sweating. Of course, she was wearing a white t-shirt and shorts. Jane had the displeasure of wearing a black shirt with jeans over top of a dark red apron. She was practically sucking up the sun's rays. "That sounds awful," Clementine said, noting that her mother was checking out seeds at the other side of the garden.

"I know right, but my shift is almost up, thank God." She smiled and pointed at her shirt. "Is that Jason Blades?"

Clementine paused and stared down at her shirt. "Oh, yeah," she said, looking up. Shit, she didn't know anything about this guy- just that his first name was Jason! _Act natural, Clementine._ "Yeah, it's Jason Blades."

"My sister loves him."

Oh God, why was Clementine surprised that it was coming to this? It seemed like every other conversation the two had was about Jaime. Wait a minute, Jaime was alive! Maybe that was why Jane was so… different. "That's cool," Clementine replied, hoping that the other didn't question her any further. She had just picked this shirt because it looked cool.

"She dragged me to his concert last summer," Jane continued, "and as much as I shit on him in front of her, he's not that bad. Like, I listen to his music as a guilty pleasure when no one's looking. I'm more of an alternative rock person myself."

"Yeah, he's… he's pretty good."

"I have _As Long As You Hold Me_ on one of my playlists and the day I die is when Jaime, my sister, finds out." Yes, Clementine was quite aware that her sister was named Jaime, but she grinned and nodded along. "So, what's your favorite song?"

 _Oh, shit._ "All his songs!" Clementine cried. "I love all his songs!"

She sighed in relief when Jane decided that was a suitable answer. "You know who's actually shit? Three Dimensions. Fuck, those guys are awful."

Clementine didn't have a clue who they were, so she continued to nod. _Yeah, they were the worst band in the world. Fuck those guys._ Jane's brows raised on that one. "Wow, I thought a girl like you would be into them."

"Nope."

"You know," Jane began, "you remind me a lot of my sister." **_Oh God, there it was._ ** "How old are you?"

"Thirteen," Clementine replied, praying she was right about her age. She hadn't kept track of time for years and it was that moment she realized how pathetic she was. Who doesn't know their age? "I'm going into the eighth grade."

"My sister's a senior. I was never popular in high school, but she's on the cheer team and shit. I wouldn't be surprised if she was voted homecoming queen."

"That's cool."

Jane shrugged. "I guess. I mean, I could care less about that shit, but she's super into her popularity. She's even dating the star quarterback." She leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Word of advice, don't date quarterbacks. They're assholes." Clementine didn't want to date anyone anyway, but she kept that in the back of her mind. Sounded like Jaime was dating the 'cream of the crop'. Of course, Jane didn't really like most people, so maybe she was biased. This conversation was getting very personal and very awkward, and Clementine wanted to leave.

"Clementine!" Her mother calls. "Clementine, let's go!"

The teenager waved goodbye and ran off, joining Diana. Immediately afterward, Troy came out and started yelling at Jane to get back to work. It was probably the best that Diana had called when she did because Clementine didn't have the patience to deal with him a second time. Balls would be bashed. And judging from the look on Jane's face before she got out of view, she was ready to do it herself. This was probably the only time Clementine wanted history to repeat. Fuck that guy.

As uncomfortable as their conversation was. She couldn't help but be fascinated that Jane was so open and friendly. Even her appearance was different. If the apocalypse made her and others into cold loners, who else was changed? Was she really the only one who remembered what happened?

* * *

 _ **A/N: Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I was nervous how Jane and Clementine's conversation was going and it if was too awkward, but then I realized Jane laughs at jokes about people fucking sheep and spills her feelings to Clementine almost immediately, so she's awkward. Jaime is alive and the opposite of Jane, so I imagined her as one of the popular girls who gets on the honor roll and is in the student council. Clementine and the other characters (Sarah, Becca, Duck, Gabe, etc) will have interactions with her because she's pretty important as a whole.**_

 _ **Sorry, Troy will always be an asshole to me.**_

 _ **To those that asked if the Garcia family are in this, don't worry. They are! I'm not going to spoil about Gabe, but he's pretty important to the story as well and Clementine has some great moments with him. Until next time!**_


	4. Diary of Jane

**_WARNING: This chapter contains implications of rape (blackmail). If this makes you uncomfortable or upset do not read this!_**

* * *

Jane walks into the employee's only bathroom nervously. Checking the stalls for any signs of her co-workers, she sighs in relief when she finds them all empty. Her shift was done for the day, thank God, but she couldn't leave yet. She still had to go to the back room with Troy and _'help'_ him with some _'boxes.'_ The young woman leaned over one of the sinks and examined herself in the tiny mirror. She tucked some of her bangs behind her ear. Before, her hair was long enough to reach her lower back, but that was back when she was the family darling. Her parents always raved about her hair and it got downright annoying when they constantly styled it. Her parents raved about a lot of her qualities, though. No achievement could go unnoticed because their 'baby girl was a star.' That's what they would always say to the extended family. Once, a long, long time ago, Jane had been in the Honor's Society and the president of her eight grade. She also had been voted most likely to succeed in the yearbook ironically enough. The constant pressure of keeping her family proud, looking pretty, and maintaining her work ethic made her snap during junior year. Shaving her hair off was one of many rebellious acts she committed during her teenaged years to get _'back at the man,'_ so to speak. Jane still laughed sometimes at the sheer look of horror her mother had when she saw her ungodly short pixie cut for the first time. It made Jane feel powerful knowing that she could push their buttons. She was burned out and for once wanted to raise hell! And for a couple years, it was awesome! She got new friends, partied all week long, and may have committed some crimes.

Then, Jaime grew up and became the perfect child. Jane's shocking acts were brushed aside as simply who she was and her parents considered her a lost cause. Why worry about their disappointment when they had a child who probably wasn't going to get pregnant at seventeen and be in jail before twenty? It was funny how she thought she was the shit back then- drinking underaged, smoking, and hanging out with the wrong crowd- when in reality, all her actions were coming back to bite her in the ass. If she hadn't of stopped giving a fuck about her grades, she probably would have been in an Ivy League school and not working in a hellhole like Howes. Once the realities of adult life hit her, her rebellion stopped being fun, but it was too late. She would forever be branded as a troublemaker and there was nothing she could do to change it; especially after that incident with the sugar crystals, which seemed to forever strain her and her father's relationship.

But, Jane tried. She began to grow her hair out again, now preferring her messy ponytail style, and even was going back to college. Her folks were skeptical about her desire to study law, but at least congratulated her in the effort. She'd prove them wrong, though. When Jane had her mind on something, she wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted. It was probably her best trait and worst.

She takes off her apron and folds it up. She'd have to wash it when she got home- it was covered in soil, grime, and other gross shit. If she had known Troy was going to move her outside she would have never agreed to… Jane glanced at the door for a moment before beginning to slowly pull down the collar of her t-shirt. Biting her lip the entire time, her fingers trace the purple-red bruises on her lower neck. Thank God her parents stopped questioning her because their reactions wouldn't have been pretty if they found out who they were from. She had done her best to hide them, though. Somedays, when it was cool enough, she'd put coverup over every single one. Who knew how her co-workers would react if they found she was sleeping around with-

The bathroom door opens and before she can turn around and cover herself up, strong, large hands wrap themselves around her waist. Jane stiffens, her breath hitching as coarse stubble brushed against her still sensitive skin. Jane snaps back into reality when one hand travels to her breast and is ready to give a squeeze. She throws them off and backs up against the sink, her eyes narrowing. "You're in the woman's bathroom, jackass," she hissed.

"I was getting impatient," Troy said and stepped forward. He cupped her chin with a smirk. "Besides, no one's going to know."

Jane gritted her teeth and pushed his hand away. "Fuck you, Troy."

"Hey, that's your job," he replied with that smarmy grin of his that made her want to punch him. Jane's glare intensified when he pinned her in between the sink and wall. He took her ponytail out and began to run his fingers through her hair. "You look better like this. You look like a real woman now. Before? Before, you were reminding me of a butch," he said softly, leaning over to nip at her neck. "Can't wait to grab it and give ya' a good yank when you're being a naughty girl…"

She swallows and tries to maintain eye contact. If he sees any signs of weakness it's all over. He'll have her right where he wants her to be because displaying dominance was Troy's specialty. Their whole relationship was built around a constant cat and mouse chase- a chess game, so to speak- in which the two were constantly fighting for control. A way to break the other. But, their venture was only supposed to be a one-time thing and nothing more. Not over a year of this nearly every single goddamn day. The Jane before all of this would have put her foot down and said enough was enough. She would have punched him in the balls, threw her uniform at him, and never returned.

But, she needed the money for school and Troy's offer of a promotion was too good to turn down, damn it. For once, she couldn't swallow her pride and ask her parents for help (as if they would anyway), so she accepted. If only she knew that was supposed to be one night would last for this long. "Fuck you." She repeats again, this time her voice cracks a bit and she internally curses at herself for sounding so weak. Troy notices.

The older man grabs a handful of her hair and pulls her forward at such a speed she gets whiplash. Their eyes meet and any confidence she has is gone as he scowls down at her. "I was given' you that first one to be nice, but you don't talk to a man like that. Especially after everything I've done for someone like _you_." She can feel her heart pulsing in her ears as his face darkens. "I'm the Assistant Manager here, you dumb bitch. You know what that fucking means? I'm second in command and I can do practically whatever the fuck I want!" Jane grimaces when his grip tightens. "You? You're a flunky working in the garden, a college dropout, and- oh, you have a criminal record! You walk away from this Jane and I tell everyone what happened, you all know who they're going to believe."

"F-Fuck you…"

"Yeah, fuck me while I'm riding high on my paychecks. Meanwhile, everyone's going to see you as a gold-digging, abusive whore who led me on for a promotion. But, yeah, fuck me. " Troy let her go, watching the now shaken up woman rub the back of her now tangled hair. "Damn, I'm going to have fun with you."

Jane said nothing and looked at the tile floor, desperately trying to fight back tears. There was the trump card that he used and he always reminded her of it when she at her breaking point. Any chance of gaining back her parent's and societies' respect would be ruined if Troy twisted this for his own gain. They would believe him over her with the reputation she had.

"I'm getting impatient," she hears Troy growl, "so hurry your ass out." He begins to leave before pausing and turning back to her. "Don't you cry on me. This is your fault."

And with that, the door slammed shut and Jane was alone once more. Her body shook with rage and she turned to one of the many stalls, beginning to kick it with a guttural howl. She imagined it was his face. It was the only way she could get through this without losing her goddamn mind and doing something rash. Fuck Howes. _Fuck her manager. **And especially fuck Troy.**_ She fixed herself and made her way out. She couldn't keep him waiting. He was getting impatient.

 _What mess did she get herself into..._

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, for everyone who said this story is extremely heartwarming and such... I am so sorry. Yes, this is a feel good story, but things weren't grand before the apocalypse either. A lot better, sure, but there was still a lot of shit going on. I hinted in the description that Clementine would have to face real, serious issues the adults were facing and here's one.**_

 _ **Every chapter Clementine meets someone from before, there's going to be an introduction on them to introduce their arc. I was thinking of having one with Ben and Kenny, but I decided it wasn't their time yet (though Kenny is in the next couple chapters). So, here's the introduction of Jane's arc! I didn't know whether to make her the same loner, trouble-maker she's always been, but seeing her flashbacks in S3 kind of changed my mind. It's obvious it's a front and that she's not as tough as she seems (she's still tough, don't get me wrong), but there's a lot going on.**_

 _ **So, Jane here is obviously going to be different. She hasn't lost Jaime or had to worry about the apocalypse. If she kept an attitude like the one she had in S2 she would never make it in today's world. Jane wants to do good and make a life for herself. She's done some not great things (like crime and flunking school to make a statement), so she's trying to get back on track. It's just a bad time in her life right now. She'll get a happy ending, though! Most of the characters here do!**_

 _ **Fuck Troy. That's all I'm going to say about him. He's an asshole and I hate writing him.**_

 _ **I never expected this story get as big as it has and I want to say thank you all! Your reviews, follows, and favorites have made me extremely happy over my holiday break and I hope all had a wonderful break as well! Midterms are starting, so I'm going to be busy, but I hope to update when I can! I want this to be the best it can be!**_


	5. The Breakfast Club

"We should have a dildo fight."

"Eddie, what the fuck."

You would think it would be fun working at a job like Spencer's. There's tons of fun shit to do- drinking games, pranks and shit, and… eating edible underwear- but, it's really boring as fuck. No one comes in besides some college kids looking for a fun time but they are few and far in between. Most parents don't even let their kids in and they've gotten a shit ton of complaints over the years. Eddie and Wyatt, however, don't let it get to them. In fact, they improvise when the going gets rough. When life gives them lemonade, they make lemons or however that shit went. Maybe they got that confused… Anyway, they improvised.

The whole dildo fight thing was Eddie's idea. He was convinced it would be the next lightsaber battle trend that would pop-up across America. You and a friend grab a dildo of any size and start swinging. Whoever gets hit has to take a shot. In an hour everyone's shit faced. It's fucking awesome and a super cool party game. He was the dildo master! The trick is you got to use those big ass purple ones; they aren't too floppy and they're big enough that you can get some decent jabs in. Eddie had been thinking of patenting it, too. Dick Wars had a nice ring to it.

His chubby, Jesus beard like companion glares at him. "Dude, that's gross and really unsanitary," he hisses. Eddie's brows raise as the blond whispers in his ear. "We got to do it later, dude. There's a customer." He motioned to the very back of the store where they kept their naughty stuff. You couldn't have your vibrators and shit up front, you know? If parents started complaining you could at least say the little nose picker went in knowingly.

"Oh!" Eddie nodded. "Ok, yeah, sorry."

He can't see them very well, nor did he hear them actually come in. Maybe was too busy thinking about Dick Wars to notice. Eddie pulls out his cell phone and goes through his text messages. Tiny Carlos got his dick stuck in an Easy-Bake Oven and TJ was in the ER with him… Oh, just an average day in the life of Eddie and Wyatt. Damn, it was Friday. They were all going to smoke weed together tonight. Maybe, if they were lucky, Jane would even join them.

Jane was something else. Eddie and Wyatt had been sophomores in college when they had first met the younger, spunky teen with a haircut so shitty it made Britney's dos during her meltdown look trendy. She had been at the party they were at- totally under the drinking age and being flirted by some older guys who didn't have the best intentions- the two stoners got her out of that mess and they had been friends ever since. They had no siblings growing up, but they considered Jane the closest thing to the little sister they never had. Man, they did all kinds of crazy shit together. They spray painted buildings, smoked a shit ton of weed, partied all night long, it was endless. Yeah, they may have been helped fuck up her life, but they were keeping her safe. Some of her 'friends' were some gorked people and if you were going to fuck yourself up it might as well be with the two biggest, lovable fuck ups imaginable. At least they could make sure she didn't get addicted to crack and stayed out of jail. When she announced she was going back to college, Eddie felt his heart burst. Was this how parents felt like when their children moved on? Pride? Or maybe it was heartburn… Yeah, it was probably heartburn because he had a huge wrap from Taco Bell that night. Anyway, they were happy for her and ready to give support.

Support like weed. Hey, the greatest minds got high. Bill Gates probably smoked weed and Steve Jobs definitely did!

 _ **Ed_Master69:**_ Yo! U up for some blazin tonight?

 _ **Ed_Master69:**_ :3

 _ **Mary_Jane:**_ I got a test to study for and I got work tomorrow. Sorry, maybe next week or something.

 _ **Mary_Jane:**_ And stop with that weeaboo shit. You know I hate that.

 _ **Ed_Master69:**_ Oh. sorry have fun then desu.

 _ **Ed_Master69:**_ 030

 _ **Mary_Jane:**_ U asshole lmao

 _ **Ed_Master69:**_ (・`ω´・)

"Looks like Jane isn't coming," Eddie said as he put away his phone.

Wyatt groaned. "Again? She said that last week, too!"

"She's busy, you know?" The beanie-wearing stoner replied with a shrug. "I'm happy for her… She's getting her shit together better than we are."

"Hey, I'm happy for her," Wyatt said, his eyes narrowing. "Don't think I'm not, but it's fucking annoying how we never hang out anymore." He sighed and sat down on one of the old, rickety stools they had dug out of the dumpster. "I miss the good old days, man."

"Me too, bro," Eddie replied.

The mysterious customer makes their way up front. She's young- eighteen at the most- with long, dirty blonde hair and large, piercing green eyes. She's wearing a pink tank top, ripped shorts, and sneakers that could only come from Forever 21, the store across the hall. It's obvious this store is not her taste, and she anxiously glances around the room- almost as if she's afraid of being caught here. Man, if Eddie was a cute teenage girl who's probably moderately popular in school, he wouldn't be caught dead here. Especially if any of the guys saw her near the dildos. Say goodbye to your social life! But, there's something familiar about her. The two stoners can't put their finger on it, but they definitely had seen her before. Maybe, it was the petite nose and bow-shaped lips… Oh, shit.

This wasn't just any teenage girl. This was fucking Jaime, dude. Shit, this was their 'sister's' little sister. Eddie and Wyatt had only met her once a few years ago- back when Jane was still in high school and she brought the then ten-year-old to one of their hangouts. The little girl, who tried to act cool like her older sister, soon was begging to be taken back home. 'Everything smells funny and it's making my nose hurt!' She'd cry and pull on Jane's jacket, but the latter was too high to care. It didn't help Eddie nearly offered her a pot brownie (which he swore was a Yum-Yum Cake). They hadn't seen her since, but Jane kept them updated with pictures and shit. The family resemblance was uncanny.

She's got strawberry flavored condoms and nipple pasties in a death grip and it's clear that she's out of her element. Everyone knows the strawberry condoms are one of the most vanilla things in their kinky ass collection. Jaime's like a deer in headlights as she puts the items on the counter. It would make sense, though. Jane always said she was 'little miss perfect' and 'such a prude.' But, Eddie and Wyatt weren't going to judge or tell her older sister shit. Everyone was a horny teenager at some point- hell, the two stoners still were, so why shame her for it? This is no kink shaming in Spencer's! "Did you find what you were looking for?" Wyatt asked as checked them out with the scanner.

The teenager's face turns bright red and she nods hesitantly. "Yeah," she whispers.

"Alright, your total is fifteen dollars and ten cents." Eddie takes the receipt and is ready to hand it to her, but she tosses the money on the counter. Shit, this was cash. Jaime must have been serious about being unnoticed. "Chill, kid. We don't care about your sex life." He said with a chuckle, internally hitting himself when the girl gets more anxious. "Shit, just calm down, okay?"

"I'm not supposed to be doing this," the girl began. "My parents will kill me if they find out I'm doing this…"

The two men glance at each other. You always had people coming in who were nervous to lose the v-card, but as long as you're safe, shit's fine. Sex is just a part of life. "Hey, relax, there's no shame here. How old are you?"

"I just turned eighteen."

"You're the legal age. Your parents can't do shit and you'll be fine if you use protection." She doesn't seem reassured, but she begins to calm down. Her breathing becomes more relaxed. Jane had never been this scared to have sex. In fact, there were many times the two older men were worried about her getting pregnant. She had this idea that as long as you pull out and shit, you'd be a-okay. Using no birth control or condoms was like Russian roulette, and getting all those sex-ed lessons at Spencer's solidified that belief, but Jane seemed sure she'd never get pregnant… or catch a nasty STD. God, it gave them agita every time she'd go on about her sexual escapades- less so now, but it still happened every so often.

Wyatt bags her things and hands it to her. She shoves it into a Victoria's Secrets bag and thanks them before quickly running out of the store. The bearded man groans and runs a hand through his locks. "Jesus Christ, man," he muttered. "We just sold fucking condoms to Jane's little sister."

"I know, dude," Eddie replied, leaning back on his stool.

"Fucking hell… You think she recognized us?"

He shrugged. "I don't think so." Eddie bit his lip and fought back a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Wyatt asked.

"She picked out the strawberry flavored condoms…" He snorted. "What the fuck is she going to do with that?"

The other man cracked a smile. "You know what they say about the good girls," he began, "they're always the naughtiest"

"Yeah," Eddie laughed and took a sip of his drink. "At least she's not a fucking dumb ass like Jane. Y'know, using protection and shit?"

Wyatt nodded. His eyes wandered to the storefront and they narrowed. No one was around and Jaime was probably their last customer of the night… Eddie's breath hitched, his hand scrambling for the large, floppy dick he had suctioned under the counter. Both men have a good grip on their weapons- the battle of the century is about to begin. As if on cue, Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive begins to play over the mall's speakers. Fucking awesome. This was going to be like an old-school cowboy shootout! A drop of sweat slides down Wyatt's face, and even though it's most likely because it's fucking August, Eddie thinks it's real cinematic. Any second dicks are going to start swinging-

"Hey, fuckos!"

Both men groan and relax, their grip slipping. Fuck, they knew that annoying, nasally voice anywhere- the fucking Breakfast Club was here. The Breakfast Club, as Wyatt had affectionately nicknamed them, were the group of kids who hung out at the food court every Friday night. There were about four of them: Sarah Rodriguez, Gabe Garcia, Ken 'Duck' Matthews Jr., and Becca Jones. Sarah was a nice kid- a little awkward and shy, but she didn't have a mean bone in her body. Gabe Garcia was a moody little shit who seemed to be going through his emo phase, but his uncle was fucking Javier Garcia, so they let it slide. Eddie tried being as nice to him as possible because Javier was not only his favorite baseball player ever, but also loaded as shit and knew all the celebrities (he was also his man crush, but he'd never admit that sober). Maybe, just maybe, he'd get invited to one of his parties and join his entourage if Gabe put a good word in for him. Duck was a dumb fuck, but a nice enough guy- definitely not a smart ass like Gabe. Finally, there was Becca. The short haired, brown eyed teenage girl was sarcastic, her tongue a more powerful weapon than a fist, and she always knew how to get under your skin. The best way to describe her would be like a mosquito. You try to push and flick that little fucker away, but no matter what you do, it always comes back ready for more. Eddie's ex-girlfriend, Abigail, was friends with her older sister, but the teenager never got the memo they broke up years ago. Shit, he only met her once before the group started coming around here acting like they owned the goddamn place.

Still, he did have a soft spot for that little shit and her nasty, hipster ass clothes that she probably dug up from the garbage. Reminded him of himself when he was a kid.

They were an odd bunch. You'd never expect to see them being friends or even talking to each other. Now, the two stoners didn't know much about how school was today, but when they were in high school there were strict rules. You had your cliques and you stayed there no matter what! You didn't see the jocks hanging out with the stoners nor did you see the goths with the preps. If they did anarchy could rise! But, Becca was a trouble maker who hated authority, Sarah was a nerd, Duck was the class buffoon who played baseball, and Gabe was the star pitcher of the varsity team- destined to follow his uncle's footsteps in the MLB if the shitload of scholarships were anything to go by. They were so very different, but nonetheless, made their friendship work. You know, like The Breakfast Club if the ending was less ambiguous, didn't have to deal with an asshole principal, and weren't wearing shitty 80's clothes that were long out of style. John Hughes was surely smiling down wherever the fuck he was.

"Hey, little shit!" Wyatt says back as Becca makes her way to the counter and leans on it. She's wearing that stupid backwards cap again. Everyone knows that if you wear your cap backwards you're an automatic douchebag. Everyone accept her unless that was part of being a hipster, and that wouldn't have surprised them one bit.

"Place looks busy." She looked around the store with a smirk, ignoring Eddie's deadpan stare. "Now, the Hot Topic downstairs? Damn, it's packed."

"Fuck you, Becca," Wyatt snapped. "Did you seriously fucking come in here to tell me that? You don't think I know that!" Sarah's eyes are like saucers and Gabe's brows raise at his outburst. Duck's too busy gawking at the penis shaped cookie cutters to notice. There's one thing you never did around Wyatt and that was mention Hot Topic. Eddie had never seen his best friend become more bitter and full of hatred than when he talked about their rival store. They stole customers, had the most 'cringe-worthy' merchandise, and their music blared throughout the complex. Eddie thought they were alright, but Wyatt loathed them to an almost comical degree. Damn, Becca knew how to push buttons alright.

"Everybody who shops there is a fucking basic emo!" He cried.

"Hey, I shop there-" Gabe started defensively.

"Yeah, and I hope you drown in your fucking tears, kid. MCR's never getting back together!"

"Holy shit, bro!" Eddie held his hands up. "Wyatt, calm the fuck down!"

The other man crosses his arms and huffs. Gabe's eyes narrow before he goes back to sulking. God, Eddie did not miss that age at all. "So, you got any news for me?" He asked the teenage girl. "You always got something brewing."

"I don't," she pointed to the back of the store, "but Duck does." Becca turned her head and called out for the boy. "Yo, Duck! Stop staring at dicks and get up here!"

The younger boy sprints over, holding about seven cookie cutters in his hands, much to Sarah's chagrin. The Hispanic girl turned her head away, her face turning a bright pink. "I've never seen these before!" Duck cried with an expression of awe. "It's like your eating a dick but you're not!"

"Dude, just tell him about the plan for Saturday."

"Oh, yeah…" He put the cutters down on the counter and focused. "Alright, so I'm playing matchmaker for my boy Gabe here-"

Eddie's brows raised. "Didn't he have a girlfriend, though? I remember you talking about her last week."

Duck waved his hand and snorted. "Yeah, well, she broke up with him. Apparently, all she wanted to do was meet uncle Javi-"

"Fuck off!" Gabe cries.

"Anyway, the dude's been super upset about it, but Duck's here to save the day!" He grinned. "I'm bringing a friend to the baseball game up in Macon on Saturday. I think the two of them are going to click like a key and a lock, you know!"

The other boy glares at him. "I don't want to meet her!" He paused before his shoulders slumped forward. "I just want Christine back."

"Dude, you only dated her for a fucking week," Becca rolled her eyes.

"I still loved her okay!"

 _Oh, the joys of youth and puppy love._

Duck continues. "She's a snarky asshole and you're a snarky asshole, Gabe. You two are meant for each other!"

"Fuck off."

"You're going to thank me later!" He cried. "You're going to come up and personally thank me! I know it's going to happen, Gabe!"

Eddie laughed and shook his head. Sarah was now standing in the doorway, eyeing a vibrator in horror. "You guys are fucking wild, man," he began. "You're always good for shits and giggles!" He then turned his attention to the bespectacled girl. "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't feel comfortable here!" She murmured. "My dad doesn't like me in these types of stores!"

"Well, your dad's a killjoy who needs to learn to get a grip!" Becca replied. "God, Sarah, you're almost eighteen you can't let him baby you for the rest of your life!"

"I know, but still…"

Duck's pocket buzzes and he moans. He reaches for his phone and puts it to his ear. "Hey, dad…" his brows knit and his smile fades. "Why are you in the parking lot already? You weren't supposed to pick us up until nine." The other teens glance at each other. "You're picking me up? Now? Why? What do you mean you were scammed? Of course Luke and Nick were scamming you, dad! If Pete of all people is telling you not to buy their stuff it's clear something's going on. Mom warned you about this, remember?" He holds his phone awayand everyone can hear garbled yelling. Eddie can't decipher what the guy's saying, but he sounds mad as hell. Seems like Duck can understand it, though, because he continues.

"What do you mean you want me there as backup? Are you going to fight them?" He asked incredulously. "Oh, you're going to show me how the art of the deal is done? Dad, I don't even think you know what that means." There's some more static as Duck nods his head along sarcastically. "Okay, I'll be out. See ya, bye," he finishes and hangs up. Everyone's staring. Now, the two men had heard about Duck's dad before- according to Becca the dude was a crazy, redneck sonuvabitch but they never had witnessed it until today. God help those two motherfuckers who decided to scam him because the art of the deal did not sound good at all. Kenny was going to RKO them or give them the old Five Knuckle Shuffle… Jesus Christ, what a way to end the night.

"I guess we need a new ride. Gabe, can your dad pick us up?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, he's not going to be happy about it, though," he sighed. "Uncle Javi's coming tomorrow from Miami so he's super stressed."

The two stoner's eyes light up at the mention of Javier. Oh, shit he was coming to town! This was Eddie's chance to be a star! "Can you tell your uncle I sad hi and that I'm a super cool dude who can hook him up with the best weed?"

"No."

"Can you tell him I said that?" Wyatt whispered. "Please?"

"No." Gabe repeated.

"Well, we might as well go," Becca began, guiding everyone out like a shepherd or Moses. "Bye, fuckers!" And as soon as they arrived, The Breakfast Club was gone.

Eddie leaned back and yawned. Shit, either the kids wiped him out or it was really late. He stared up at the clock, cursing when he realized he had another hour of sitting on his hard stool doing absolutely nothing. His ass was beginning to hurt-

 _ **Slap!**_

He reels back in shock, holding his cheek as he recovers from what had to be the hardest smack in his life. He slowly looks up at Wyatt and gasps. The larger man is grinning manically as he holds the still jiggling, floppy dick in his hands. As if it were a sword, he tries to get a few more hits before Eddie rolls and grabs his own dildo. "En garde, motherfucker!" Wyatt shouted.

"No fair," Eddie smirked. "You think I'm going to let that shit slide."

"I don't know… will you?"

The events that occurred after those words were uttered were never recorded or at least they didn't remember them. All they knew was that the biggest sausage fest in history occurred and there were no survivors. Dildos were broken, dicks were swinging, and in the end, they had gotten so high in their truck they passed out. Just a typical day in the life of Eddie and Wyatt.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Alright, I know the last chapter was short, so I tried to make it up with a 3,500+ long chapter. I kind of had some writer's block with this one, but I do like how it came out for the most part. The ending is a bit meh, but I didn't want to go into their Dick War... I'm pretty sure no one wanted that.**_

 ** _Some exciting things happened here, though! The Breakfast Club has been introduced, Luke and Nick have been mentioned and are presumably going to get their asses kicked by Kenny which we'll see (you scammed the wrong man), Jaime is finally here, and Javier and the Garcias are coming! Of course there were some ulterior motives involved here with the whole Macon game. RIP Duck when Clementine finds out._**

 ** _I left some hints to where this story's going, but I know you all probably spotted them. Eddie and Wyatt are definitely the Timon and Pumba in this story. They're hilarious to write and we'll definitely see more of them later!_**


	6. Pretty Boy and Vanilla Ice

Once, a long time ago, Luke and Nick's house had been the center of many drunken parties. Laughter once echoed throughout and tables were smashed during numerous drinking games. College students made out on the couches, friendships were made, and there was not a care in the world. But, all of a sudden, it was like a switch went off. It seemed like everyone they knew were moving out, getting married, and making babies- sometimes in that order. For Luke and Nick, the party had never ended! What was going on? Now, there were no parties to be had besides the ones the two celebrated by themselves, but that was pathetic. The only way they all kept in touch was through Facebook, but it got aggravating to see everyone posting pictures of their spouses and children with descriptions so sweet they could cause diabetes. God, when did everyone become killjoys?

"I'm un-friending Chelsea," Luke says, turning his head to Nick, who's playing video games. "I can't do it anymore."

"I'm done with Facebook," the other replied as he reached for his drink. "It feels good to get away from the crazy political posts and the baby photos."

"That's it! She keeps on posting pictures of her baby!" It was a shame that she had to pop out a baby because she was fun once upon a time. What was it with having children that made people obsessed, boring stick-in-the-muds? Like, posting one picture once every blue moon was fine, but thirteen an hour? That's too much! "She just posted the kid's diaper blowout!"

"That's disgusting!"

"I know," Luke cried. "I don't want to see that shit! God, imagine how embarrassed that kid's going to be when they find that in ten years! Imagine if their friends find that!"

"It'd be like if my mom posted the embarrassing baby photos I had," Nick frowned slightly. "Thank God she wasn't big on Facebook or my social life would be worse off than it already is." He took another chug of his beer and sighed.

The brunet turned around in his chair and pouted. "Hey, man, I'm sorry."

"I just can't believe it's been a year already," he muttered. "All she asked of me was to find a job and have my shit together, but I couldn't even do that for her."

"You'll get a job," Luke said.

"I'm turning twenty-eight in a month, Luke," Nick scoffed. "No one's going to want to hire me."

"Now, that ain't true-"

"I also promised my mom I'd get married and give her a grandchild…"

Luke rolled his eyes and his shoulders slumped. "Nick, don't start this on me. Come on, man, I thought you were better than this!" He ran a hand through his wavy locks, hoping that his friend was pulling his leg.

Ever since high school, the two had made a pact- they'd settle down and live the dream as bachelor's in Las Vegas. Yeah, they'd have their fair share of women in their lives, but there would be no babies! Nope, no way! They'd be super rich, successful business men and be just like George Clooney! Being successful business men wasn't really working out- they were almost flat broke and they were stuck scamming Kenny- but they were doing great at being bachelors! Not like a lot of women talked to them anyway (well, Luke always had women throwing themselves at him until they found out about his living situation and that he was jobless).

But, Nick's icy, cold eyes never wavered- he never laughed; there was an expression of pure sorrow and heartbreak on his face that shook Luke to the core. And it was at that moment that he realized that Nick was ready to leave- like a baby bird when they leave the nest- and move on. There was no convincing in the world he could do to stop it.

"Nick, come on, man…" Luke repeated shakily. "What about the plan?"

"That was when we were fifteen!" Nick cried. "Things change… I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life…"

"Y-You got me."

His eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head with that one. "You know what I mean," he replied. "Aren't you lonely, too?"

"Nah," the other shrugged, "I'm happier than I've ever been, dude."

"What in debt with students loans, jobless, and stuck with your best friend?"

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I am!" Luke paused for a second before smirking. "And, I'm not jobless anymore, Nick! You're looking at Stone Mountain's new art teacher!"

Nick's brows raise. "You got a job, seriously?"

"Yep, I'm going to be teaching today's youth about art history!"

Nick said nothing but cringed- probably disapproving of his career choice. Well, it was paying the bills. To be honest, Luke had never worked with children nor did he have any desire to- kids, especially middle schoolers, could be cruel and downright disgusting- but teenagers were different. He could relate to them on some kind of level. They could understand his references and jokes, not pick their nose and throw their shit around the room, or drive him off the wall. Okay, maybe they'd do the latter, but he was content as long as there was no shit throwing. Any kids younger than ten were barely human.

Their old, busted doorbell begins to ring. It's screeching going off repeatedly before whoever was at the door decided to just knock- well, bang- and they seemed pissed. Luke and Nick both sit up, glancing at each other and their front door, unsure of whether to answer it or not. Was is their neighbor? Jesus, they haven't had a part in, like, forever so it couldn't be them. Was it Pete? No, what could he be mad about? Luke's parents? They may have owed them money, but they were calm, collected people who never kicked down doors. Unless… it could…

 _ **No.**_

"Open up, you fuckers!"

They know that croaky voice anywhere. _Dear God, no! Have mercy! It was Kenny!_

"Open up!" The Floridian repeats as he continues to beat their poor door. "You fuckers got a lot of explaining to do!"

"About what?" Luke cried as the two crept slowly to the peephole. Sure enough, there was Kenny glowering at them. Duck was leaning over the railing of their porch and shaking his head. It looked like the teenager was dragged against his will and was probably the one who could save them from the ass beating of a century. Knowing the redneck's temper, they wouldn't put it past the older man to try (though the two friends could easily overpower him).

But, the longer they don't open the door and confront him, the angrier he's going to get and the angrier he is the more likely they're likely to die. So, they both silently prayed and swung it open, hoping for the best in an already shitty situation. Kenny was redder than Nick's cap as he grabbed Luke by the collar- his nostrils flared. Luke bit his lip as he began his tirade.

"I want my money back," Kenny hissed.

Luke nervously grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, Kenny, we never said it was a money back guarantee…"

Six years ago, while they were drunk off his ass, their business plans were conceived. It had been in the works since they were teenagers, but they had never made an attempt. Not until Luke grabbed Nick's mom's pen and pad and began to scribble nonsense- nonsense that made perfect sense in their eyes. Both of them had taken out a small loan from the bank and gotten financial support from their families; they had been so proud that their boys were living the American dream. Too bad that they spent all their money on booze, the latest gaming consoles, and a new car before even attempting to get their shit together. By the time they formulated some plan, they were flat broke. They dabbled in everything: auto body work, home repair, even pet grooming, but everything went south. Their latest venture was making and selling outdoor recreation gear- mostly focusing on fishing and hunting, which was only because they knew Pete and his friends would eat that shit up.

They had tried to make fishing wire themselves, but it had ended as well you could expect. It was after Nick cut his fingers the fiftieth time that they decided to just go out and buy some at Walmart instead. They were real cheap- about two bucks per pack- which saved them more money than actually going out and paying extra for materials to make it. At the end of the day, they were getting more of a profit. If they sold the line for five dollars per pack, when they were only paying two, they would be getting three bucks back. All the revenue they were getting from poor chumps like Kenny was enough to easily pay off most of the debts they had from before- and it made them cocky. After a while, it wasn't just fishing lines, but gun cases, fishing poles, and tackle boxes. They were making bank and ran with it. This was all just temporary… It would all end soon and they would mysteriously go 'bankrupt.' No one would suspect a thing.

 ** _And that day was today._**

Kenny's jaw drops and for a moment he's speechless. Just a moment, though because his brows furrow deeper and his scowl grows. He brings Luke's face close- they're nearly nose to nose- and he continues to huff and puff. Duck's brows raise and he glances at Nick, who's slowly backing up. "You better give me my fucking money back, Pretty Boy." Ah, there was the nickname. Luke was Pretty Boy and Nick was Vanilla Ice. It was weird to hear them with such venom in Kenny's voice. Normally, the guy was as cheerful as could be- if just a little grumpy sometimes. Never was he full of hatred like he was now.

"How much do we owe?" Nick asked, his voice wavering slightly.

"Three-fucking-hundred dollars!"

As if he was getting ready to draw a pistol out western style, Nick cautiously reached into the pocket of his old camo pants and pulled out his wallet. He opened it up, searching through the contents like a mad man before pulling out about a hundred dollars. He hands the cash over to Kenny before turning to Luke. "Dude…" He began and his eyes narrowed.

"Nick…"

"One of y'all better give me the rest of my money before I lose it!"

Luke groans and takes out his wallet, handing the rest of the cash to the older man. The Floridian inspects it all carefully- counting the bills multiple times out loud as his son rolls his eyes- his brows are still furrowed and he looks ready to kill. Slowly, he stares up at the two friends, letting out a grunt. "That's everything," he frowns. "If you're going to scam me at least take the fucking Walmart logo off the wire, you fucking morons!" He's ready to smack them upside the head, and Nick seems ready for the blow too, but he stops. "You took advantage of my trust."

God, he the way he says it is like Pete when he's disappointed. There's a hint of hurt in the older man's brown eyes that makes them both want to slither away. "I believed in you," he continued. "You know, everyone told me 'Luke and Nick are losers! You're being scammed!' But, you know what? Every great man needs a greater man to stand behind them and give them the support they need!" He grips Luke's shoulders. "I trusted you two! I thought you cared about the American dream, but you were using me! I believed in you!"

 _Oh no, he believed in them!_ Luke stares at the ground while Nick just gapes like a fish. When was the last time anyone truly gave them complete and total support for anything? Sure, Kenny pulled their leg sometimes, but he had faith in them. He thought they could be successful and look what they did! They ruined everything! Not even Pete took them seriously anymore; he sounded defeated any time he came over and saw the state they were in. Luke's parents had stopped asking about their business and he was sure his mother cried at night.

Luke glances up at him, his expression similar to a kicked puppy. "Kenny…"

"You two need to get your shit together! You're almost thirty-fucking-years old."

"Actually, I just turned twenty-nine and Nick's twenty-eight, so we're not-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Kenny snapped before pouting. "You two are missing the goddamn point!" He turned to Duck and pointed at the teenager, who was very uncomfortable by the whole experience. "If my son grew up to be as big of a failure as you two are, I'd die from a broken heart! It'd kill me."

Nick's ready to cry now and Luke realizes this is getting a little too close to home. But, Kenny continues on unaware. "You know what I was doing when I was your age? I was working! I was on that boat working my ass off nearly every damn day and doing the best I could! I had a beautiful wife," he wrapped his arm around Duck, "my amazing son on the way-"

"Dad…"

"And I was living the dream! The American dream!"

Luke rubbed his arm. "I-I did get a job…"

"Oh," the Floridian's eyes widen and he crosses his arms. He's got an incredulous expression on his face- no doubt disbelieving the younger man's word, which, he had every right to after being lied to already. "Are you pulling my leg here or are you telling the truth?"

"I'm telling you the truth!" Luke cried. "I'm going to start teaching art at a local high school-"

"Oh…" Kenny repeats, shrugging. "Well, at least you're working." He then turned to Nick, frowning when the other didn't even give him eye contact- instead, looking down at his shoes with a blank stare. "Can't say the same thing about Vanilla Ice here." Duck's already starting to make his way back to their pickup when his father wraps his arm around him, pulling him into an awkward side hug. "Didn't even know you could get a job with a stupid, liberal college degree like that besides Starbucks. Duck, learn from this knucklehead here and don't take useless, basket-weaving courses or you'll never find work!" He says to the teenager in a hushed whisper, making sure it's loud enough for Luke to hear.

"I'm teaching at Stone Mountain, so it'll be fun having Duck for the year. Art is a requirement for sophomores," Luke says with a smirk, watching Kenny's smirk fall faster than the stocks during Black Thursday. Hell, Kenny's face is reminiscent of a stock broker right at the start of the Great Depression. If Luke had a camera he would've taken a photo and made it art.

"Dear God!" He held onto his son tighter, gasping. "No!"

"What, I thought you were happy about me getting a job."

"I'd be happier if you were polluting other people's kids with that liberal nonsense- not mine! Christ, I got to pay for this shit and if my boy's taking a useless course I want someone who isn't a lazy loser like you!"

"Thank you, Kenny. I appreciate that."

* * *

Clementine had dug through most of her closet- clothes were strung out all over her bed, dresser, and chairs- and she was growing more frustrated by the second. Something as simple as picking out clothes shouldn't be so difficult! Why was it so difficult? Before, she was never worried about her outfits. If it fit, was comfortable, and kept her warm, then that was the only thing that mattered. But, now she was unsure. People judged when it came to your appearance and she felt pressured to look her best. Not just for Duck and Katjaa, but also for Lee if she bumped into him in Macon. It was unlikely, but there was always a chance…

Eventually, she narrowed it down to two outfits; a black and white jersey and shorts, and a hoodie with the Marsh House logo and yoga pants. Fuck, she liked both of them! It was too warm for yoga pants, though, but she didn't want to seem like a try-hard with the jersey. It didn't even have a team on it- just an _American Eagle_ logo- and it made her look like she had no knowledge of baseball. God, why did she care so much?

"You're really growing up, you know that?"

Ed's standing at the doorway, leaning back with a smirk as he watches his daughter. He chuckles when she pouts and makes his way inside the bedroom. "What's the problem here, Clem?"

"You wouldn't understand…"

"What? Clementine, I'm an engineer. It's my job to solve problems." He says and Clementine can't help but chuckle. Her dad was always good for a smile. When she was younger, whenever she and her mother argued, Clementine would always run to her father for support. Ed was more lenient much to his wife's annoyance sometimes. "Alright, tell your old man what's up."

"I don't know what to wear for Saturday."

Ed glances at the clothes on her bed and puts a hand to his chin. Clementine rolls her eyes when he continues to alternate between the two outfits for a good minute- he hums in concentration as if it's a mathematical equation. Then, he points to the jersey and shorts and nods with assurance to his daughter. "Yep," he said, "go with this one."

"Are you sure?" Clementine asked, beginning to regret not just asking her mother instead.

"Who wears hoodies in the summer?" Ed replied. "You're going to get hot out there."

'I could always wear a t-shirt over it and put on shorts." She crossed her arms, exhaling loudly. "I just don't want to seem like a try-hard with the jersey…"

"How would you be a try-hard?" He asked.

Of course, why did she think he was going to get it? She groaned and ran a hand through her curly, black locks. "Because he plays baseball, dad!"

"So?"

"So? So, if I go there wearing a jersey for _American Eagle_ and not a real team, it's going to look like I don't know anything about baseball and that I'm kissing everyone's ass!"

Ed is silent; his eyes narrow as he makes several facial expressions that Clementine can't even describe, but they're of disgust and befuddlement. "I-I… What?" He asked incredulously. "What are you talking about?" He paused for a second, his mind running like a hamster on their wheel before the lightbulb went on. He slowly turned to the teenage girl and smirked.

"What?"

"Oh…" He begins, raising his brows over and over, which aggravates her even more. "You like this boy, don't you?"

"N-No!" Clementine stammers, turning beet red. "No, I don't!"

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm not mad."

"I don't like Duck!" She cried. He may have grown up a bit, but Duck was still the same annoying, gross boy from the Motor Inn! No way would she ever like him! God, she just wanted to look nice and now everything was snowballing out of control! Is this what Gabe meant when he complained about his parents? Clementine had never experienced it before until now. "Dad!"

"You're at that age, Clem. It's okay… I'm going to support you."

 _ **"Dad!"**_

Ed relents after she gives him a glare, but he still has that annoying smirk. He picks up the shirt and stares down at it. "I'm a guy, obviously, and I'm going to tell you as a guy that no one is going to care if you wear the jersey or not. What they will judge you for is wearing the hoodie because it's going to be ninety degrees in Macon tomorrow… They also might call an ambulance for you cause' you'll definitely get heatstroke."

"So, I won't be a try-hard?"

"Clementine, honey, you're sounding like your mother here," Ed replied. "It's just a shirt." He grinned and pulled her into a hug, his eyes crinkling. "Besides, you could be wearing a garbage bag and you'd still be the most beautiful girl in the world."

She softly smiled and buried her head in the crook of his neck. She had forgotten the smell of his cologne, which had always made her feel safe when she was younger, and she closed her eyes. Even after a few days, Clementine still expected to wake up back in Richmond. Back in hell. She could have stayed like this forever if she had the choice- safe in her daddy's arms. "You're just biased because you're my dad," she murmured.

"You got me there," Ed laughed, "but you're still beautiful. You look more like your mother every passing day, and you know I ain't bias about her! She is the most beautiful woman in the world! And that's a fact! How did I get so damn lucky?"

"Because you're an awesome guy and the best dad in the world…"

"Aw, Clem… Now, that's ass-kissing." Both father and daughter giggled. "You're right, though. I got to build my self-esteem up before you inevitably bring me down in one of your teenage mood swings." Clementine glared up at him as he began to rustle her hair. "See, there we go."

"Dad…"

Ed chuckled. "I finally got the pool open," he began. "And I was wondering- if you could stomach your old man in a bathing suit- would you to go swimming with me? Your mother's going at out for the night and leaving us alone, so I was thinking I could cook up burgers on the grill-"

"And have our own barbecue?" Clementine asked cheerfully.

"Exactly!"

"Of course!" She ran to her drawer and pulled out her bathing suit. Ed had already begun to make his way out. "And we can catch fireflies, right?"

"Well, duh? That's our tradition, isn't it?"

"And we can walk around the block afterward… during the sunset, but before it gets super, super dark?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Hey, if it makes you this excited to spend time with me we'll do whatever you want."

"I love you."

Ed grinned as he shut her bedroom door. "I love you, too."

* * *

"Adieu, Kenny! Parting is such sweet sorrow!" Luke cried before closing the front door. Kenny responded with a loud 'fuck you', but it was muffled. Duck had been sitting in the car for fifteen minutes at that point- their quarrel lasting longer, yet less violently than he expected. The only thing broken was his pride, but that would surely recover now that his gig was starting up. Oh, he'd have fun with Duck this year.

"Alright, the asshole is gone," he turned to Nick. "Now, if you're not going on the PS4 I'm gonna play some Elder Scrolls. The new DLC just came out and…"

The other man is sitting on the couch- his hat is low, nearly covering his face- and he takes a large swing of his beer. He says nothing, but Luke can tell he's upset.

"Nick…"

"Kenny's right," he says, almost in a whisper. "We're pathetic."

"Hey, we're not pathetic! Kenny's pathetic!"

"He believed in us… Pete believed in us… believed in _me_."

Luke sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. And Nick was doing so good with his depression, too... "Hey, Pete still believes in us!"

"He told Kenny not to buy our stuff. He knew we were scamming him-"

"Everyone knew we were scamming him!"

"Luke, I'm tired. I'm tired of this."

"Hey, I got a job, though!" Luke replied. "We can pay the bills, do fun shit, still be single-"

"You don't get it!" Nick snapped.

"What do I not get? We're going to live our dreams-"

"Your dream… not mine."

Luke froze. "I… I… what?" His eyes widened. "But… our plan…"

"I'm not fifteen anymore, Luke," Nick replied. "I'm almost thirty and I want a family."

"Well, you got Pete and me-"

"I want to meet that special someone and I want to settle down and have a kid or two." His almost glowing blue eyes narrowed at his now empty beer bottle. "My dad sat on the couch like this, you know?" He began, tempted to chuck it across the room. "He sat on the couch, drank his beer, and did nothing all day while my mom worked her ass off. The only time he got up was to eat, shit, or use us as punching bags…"

Luke crossed his arms. "You're not your dad, Nick. Come on, cut that shit out."

"I'm not, yet," he said. "But, I know I'm going down that route… of being a lazy piece of shit. I know Pete thinks I am, too."

"You don't need to knock a girl up to prove you're a man to Pete, dude."

Nick scowled. "It's not to prove anything to Pete, jackass. Maybe, for once in my life, I'm deciding something for myself. I want to get married and I want to have a family." His expression softened. "Luke, don't you ever think about that?"

"Like making it official with Bonnie or somethin'?"

"Just anybody…"

He shrugged. "No, not really. Listen, I'm happy having some flings here and there, but I ain't willing to give away my freedom. I mean, unlike you, I'm perfectly content with still having fun!"

Nick stood up, gripping his beer bottle with such intensity that Luke was sure it would break. "Grow up, Luke," he hissed as he stomped past him, brushing against him. He made his way to the steps and fidgeted with his hat before glowering down at the other. "You are pathetic." And with that, he stormed up the steps, slamming the door to his bedroom.

Luke cursed under his breath. This was just a phase. Nick would be back to normal in a couple days, and then they would put this behind them. Why throw your life away? Once you have kids, you're done! They consume your every waking moment, any time you could just fuck up their lives and your partner's, and you change- you're not fun anymore. He'd seen it happen to too many friends- well, ex-friends, and it was killing him to see Nick go down that same route. This was how it always started. Besides, what if he did get together with Bonnie (which was highly unlikely) and it fell apart? It's better to think of everything as temporary, so you save your time, money, and avoid heartbreak. It's easier to just move on- which he was very good at doing. Oh, Nick was just opening himself up to get hurt.

As Luke looked around their dark, messy living room, he continued to lie to himself. The beer bottles, wrappers, plates on the tables, the eery silence of the room, and how empty he felt was normal. This was fine… This was living the dream! He held onto the game controller and forced a smile as the title screen of his game came on. Oh, yeah! Nothing was better than this! Sure, he may have hurt Nick's feelings, been roasted to hell and back by an old man with a shitty mullet, and may be going through an existential crisis, but this was heaven! He wouldn't trade this for the world!

* * *

 _ **A/N: Don't really know how I feel about this chapter, but I had to get it out here. It's been nearly a month since the last chapter and that is not okay! Funny enough, it's also Valentine's Day where I'm at, so I guess Luke and Nick's character arc introduction chapter makes sense.**_

 _ **This chapter was going to be a lot longer at first. I mean, it already is, but it was going to have Javier's introduction as well. But... woot... he needs to a chapter to himself. Spoiler: He's a train-wreck, but I love him anyway. So, let's discuss this chapter...**_

 _ **Kenny's telling it like it is (in his own Kenny way). Poor Duck's realizing that he missed pizza with his buddies for this. I feel bad if you thought Luke and Nick were going to have their shit together... It's pretty much canon in game that they were broke assholes before the apocalypse, so let's add some existential crises in to the mix. They're at that age where everyone around them starts getting married and having babies, and when you got one guy who doesn't want to move on and another who wants to prove he's a man, you got disaster coming.**_

 ** _Looks like Nick is ready to start his 'Love Quest' (the wise words of Chris-Chan), but Luke's terrified of commitment. Oh, Luke... Luke, Luke, Luke... little do you know my plans for you. Also, yay! Luke's going to be a teacher! Let's see how fast he loses his goddamn mind and cry in the bathroom in between classes!_**

 ** _I wanted to add a Clementine scene since it's been 4ever since we've seen her. It's hard being a teenage girl... It's hard having low self-esteem and a fear of being judged. Thank the Lord we have Ed Marsh here to save the day! He may not have any fashion sense, but he's smart enough to know that wearing a hoodie in 90 degree weather is not a smart idea. Ed Marsh is an amazing man and I love him._**

 ** _We're getting close to the big trip to Macon! Get hype for Uncle Javi and his party entourage, y'all! They're getting a chapter to themselves!_**


	7. The Airport Savior

_Dear Javier,_

 _I know you're probably still mad over what happened all those years ago. I know you have a life of your own now, what with the MLB and all, and if you choose to delete this right away, it's fine. I understand. But, please read this. We all miss you, Javi. Mariana loves the Selena Gomez autograph you got for her birthday, but she would've loved it even more if you had been at her party. She misses her uncle and so does Gabe. He's doing so good at baseball, Javi, you should see him play. When I see him hit a home run, I see you. It's even starting to get to David, too. He was all decked out in Marlin's gear, watching the World Series and cheering you on with Yaya (don't tell him I said that, though! He wants no one to know lol)! You should've seen them when you won._

 _Gabe's got a huge game in Macon next week. It'd mean the world to him if you came and watched him play. David says you can stay with us if you need to (I know you're used to mansions so it might be a little bit of culture shock for you!), unless you want to get a hotel room._

 _I hope we see you!_

 _Kate_

* * *

Javier rolls over- his sheets slipping off his nude body, hitting the floor- he groans. Last night had been a complete blur. He had no idea what the fuck happened, but it must have been nice. There's a beautiful blonde sleeping beside him, her hair is a complete mess (no doubt from them rolling around) and her bare breasts are exposed. Oh, that was his girlfriend, Jess. Nice. He'd been through so many blondes and one night stands they just kind of all blended together at some point. He's hoping for round two because he didn't remember a thing from last night, which was unfortunate because it was probably awesome.

Her eyes flutter open and bright, blue eyes are staring back at him, she smiles. "Hey beautiful," he murmurs, brushing away some of her bangs.

"Hey," she whispered.

"What the fuck even happened last night?" Javier asked as he sat up. The sunlight peeking through the curtains momentarily blinded him and he put a hand over his eyes. "Christ, I had too much to drink."

Jess sits up and throws the rest of the sheets off and smirked. She's ass naked. "What do you think happened?"

"We played checkers?" And with that, he got a pillow to the face. "Okay, okay, I'm just messing with you. I kind of assumed that, but seriously, what else?"

"You had a party," she began, waltzing over to his wardrobe and putting on one of his white button-up shirts. "It was crazy."

"How crazy are we talking about here?"

"Well, at one point there was a recreation of the history of Rome; you were Caesar and we all pretended to stab you with dildos."

Javier shrugged. "That's not too crazy. I've done weirder-"

"And then we all went to the beach and collected seashells because you were Nero-"

"Caligula, babe," He corrected. "Caligula was the emperor. Get your history right."

Jess rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah, sorry. Anyway, I can't remember anything after you hired the pony and named it your consul."

Now, for a normal person, this would be absolutely insane. Who the fuck would recreate the history of the Roman Empire for a party? Who in God's name would actually come to see that shit? But this was pretty tame compared to some of Javier's other exploits throughout the years. His parties had this weird quirk where it was educational while also fun as well. Like, there was this one crazy bash where it was based on the French Revolution and he commissioned a guillotine to be built. He totally had no purpose for it later, and all they used it for was to cut the big ass cake they got, but damn was it cool. Another time, they reenacted the crossing of the Delaware in his pool. Now that was a party! It started as a joke at first, but he got super into it. If that movie contract fell through, he lost his good looks, and for some reason couldn't play ball anymore, at least he had something to be remembered for.

"How many people were there?"

"There had to be over three hundred in the senate at one point, but I was too drunk to count after we collected the shells," Jess replied. "The house is probably a mess."

"Whatever, I'll just get the cleaning service to clean it up."

There were two great things about being filthy-fucking-rich. One, everyone kissed your ass like you could do no wrong; and two, you had enough money to not have to do chores anymore- you hired people to do it for you. Javier couldn't recall the last time he did the laundry or cleaned the bathroom. He had his cleaning service do all the work. It was also really, really nice to have people practically suck your dick every day because they thought you were the hot shit. Living with David all those years made it hard to feel like you could amount to anything, but people legitimately liked him (and his money), and it got to Javier. After being told he was cool for so long, he believed it! He was cool! He knew A list celebrities and was dating a Victoria's Secret model! People killed to go to his parties! What the fuck was David doing? Oh, wait… nothing!

He makes his way over to his girlfriend and wraps his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck. "It's a damn shame we have to get up. I wish we could just stay in bed forever."

Jess choked back a giggle. "Javier Garcia, are you trying to get in my pants?" She scolded; but he could see her reflection in the mirror; she was biting her lip, glancing at the ground. His hands slide down to her ass and he sucks on her neck, smirking when she lets out a small, barely audible moan.

"What pants?" He murmured. "You're not wearing any."

"Touché." She slipped out of his grip and sauntered over to the bathroom door. She motioned him forward with a smirk. "Come on, we got five hours until we have to leave for Atlanta, let's enjoy them."

He followed her, grinning madly. "Lead the way, ma'am."

* * *

To be honest, Javier was excited to see his family again. Not David though because fuck him. However, Mariana, Gabe, Mama, and Kate were fine in his book. He would have visited before- not just sent them expensive gifts or called them- but there was no way he could face his older brother. Not after Papa's death and the consequential beat down he got afterward for 'not being there'. Fucking prick. Javier had called his father every day; he sent money to pay for the chemotherapy, and he damn made sure to visit every time he could. Did they have any idea how hard it was to constantly go back and forth from Miami to Atlanta, all the while struggling to keep his career together and manage life for himself? It was nearly impossible, so no way was he going to sit there and listen to David bitch about him being a 'lazy, ungrateful son of a bitch.'

He was doing this for his family, though. They would all pester him to play the old board games David kept in the attic, tell them (censored and heavily sugar-coated) stories of his ventures, and tour Macon after Gabe's game. That was nice and all- Javier loved the idea of kicking back and relaxing after nights of playing ball and partying- but it was so dull… pathetic. Their lives were so boring! Once you go from a life of constant excitement to a thrill every day, you can't go back to the suburbs. The moment you notice the routine of everyday life, it starts an itch- you slowly go batshit crazy as you yearn for more and more!

Oh, he had to give them a glimpse of his world. Javier couldn't let them suffer like this anymore!

Also, he needed to get himself a private jet because he was sick of kids kicking his damn seat. Yeah, this was not how he was hoping to spend his flight. He couldn't even scold the kid because TMZ would find out and write a horrible, untrue article about him punching babies or something. David would then read it, and as outlandish as it was, believe it because he's one of those dumb fucks who'll fall for anything, and that would be the end of any attempts at reconciliation. So, Javi suffered. He suffered because he was a good person. He felt bad for the little nose-picker; their mother was too busy playing Candy Crush to care about their behavior and his misery. What a shit parent.

Jess was fast asleep beside him. She looked ridiculous wearing her pink footie pajamas and sleep mask that had 'the Bitch is Sleeping' plastered in fancy cursive. At least she was comfortable, he couldn't say the same for himself. Thank God their flight wasn't long. Then the real fun would start. Javier couldn't think of anything better than shoving away angry tourists who just got back from Disney and old people in attempts to get their luggage.

When the plane does finally land, he's ready to jump for joy. Jess lifts up the right eye of her mask and groans- she must have thought the ride was longer or something- already Javier can tell she's going to whine the entire time. He hoped she would change before they got to the house (it was only seven at night and it would make for bad first impressions), but from the glare she was giving him, he must've been asking for too much. Alright, make yourself look like a jackass in front of David and see how long that lasts. Just remember when you fuck up that also means Javi fucks up by association, and no one wants Javi to fuck up. Because if Javi fucks up David's going to lose his shit and they'll start brawling in the front yard.

"I'm not changing," she snapped at him at the gate after he asked. "I'm tired, hung-over, and hungry, so don't fucking tell me what to do!"

"I'm just saying that if you want to make a good impression, you might want to think about not wearing…" He paused when he saw the kitten throwing up a peace sign on the front of her pajamas. "That."

The model gasped and put a hand on her chest. Her eyes widened. "It's not about the clothes, Javi! It's about what's inside, and if they don't like me for the wonderful person I am, then they're missing out!"

Sometimes, he forgot he was dating a complete and utter fucking idiot, but then were little moments like this that brought him back to reality. It wasn't like the other women he dated were geniuses either- like the Vine star for example- their relationship was mostly based on sexual attraction. He'd probably dump her within the next month or so and then move onto the next woman who got his attention. It didn't take very long for that to happen because when you're rich and good looking, women throw themselves at you. There was even a group of women online who wrote weird ass fanfiction of him online; like the one of him having a gang-bang with his team-mates while The Rock watched (why was The Rock there? Javier didn't know but David was never going to be famous enough to get that amount of love, so hah!) or the one where he got knocked up (that was his favorite one). Any attention is good attention, unless TMZ is writing about you punching babies. That's not good.

They're near the luggage station when he decides to try to disguise himself. It was already crazy there as it was, but if people knew he was there? God, it'd be a mad-house. He didn't want to cause additional concerns for security with his presence! He pulls up his hood and throws on his sunglasses before making his way over to the baggage carousel. Jess is still in a daze and nearly gets run over by a woman with a stroller. The first rule of an airport: always pay attention to your surrounding!

It takes about three attempts before he gets his bags. He decided to let the people in front of him go first because he was a damn nice person, so he missed out when they went around. Javier packed light; just some clothes, hygiene care, and gifts. It was a nightmare packing up a bunch of shit you wouldn't use and then trying to re-pack everything that you did use so it would all fit. Not worth the aggravation!

He's about ready to leave when he notices his girlfriend still standing over the conveyer belt, holding her bag with a look of befuddlement. She glances at him and her light blue, polka dot suitcase before motioning him over. "I think someone took my bag," she murmured.

"Did you try waiting for everything to come back around?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't find it!" She pouted and pointed at the Mickey Mouse plush peeking out. "See, it's not mine!"

Fucking fantastic. They had been doing so good, too. Not a single incident until this. If the person with her bag figured out who she was (a Victoria's Secret model), odds were they'd never find it again. They would either try to find anything valuable or take her underwear because people were creepy.

"I didn't keep anything expensive in there," she began, noticing his discomfort. "Just the simple stuff… like you said I should pack."

Great, but that doesn't stop people from taking your underwear and using it for nefarious reasons. He knew that from experience (but that was another story for another day). He hoped she liked borrowing Kate's stuff.

"We'll have to ask security and see what they can do."

Jess pouted. "I liked that bag."

There's a security guard a few feet away, and much to Javi's annoyance, they're busy. There's a family talking-no arguing- with him about something. From what he can tell, they're going through a similar problem. The father, a middle-aged, portly graying blond in a Hawaiian shirt (disgusting), is getting more aggravated and desperate by the second.

"You don't understand," he says, "her insulin cartridges are in there! She needs her dose soon and the pharmacy closes in an hour!"

"I don't know what to tell you, sir."

"This is a medical emergency! You got to do something!"

His wife, a slightly younger brunette wearing a sundress and almost as red as a lobster steps forward, holding his arm. "Honey," she pleads, "you can stay here. I'll go out real quick and get see if I can get some replacements."

"This is bullshit!" He cried, angrily waving his arms like a goddamn Air Dancer. "You people aren't even making an attempt at helping us!"

"I can assure you we are, sir," the security guard replies with a deadpan tone. This shit probably happened at least once a day and they didn't give a single fuck anymore. Jesus, they could have least made an attempt to care or something.

Javier then notices the two young women, who have to be their daughters, standing off to the side. The one who resembles her mother is staring at the ground, clearly embarrassed. Her short, brown hair is in a pixie cut, so she can't twirl it, so she instead fiddles with her bright pink dress. There's a light blue suitcase beside her that can only be Jess'. Great, there must have been a mix-up. The other woman gets his attention, though. He can see a lot of her father in her; they have the same eyes, hair color, and outraged expression. For a minute, he thinks she's going to start going at the guard, but she keeps her composure… barely. She's wearing an orange and gray tank top, shorts, and dirty, old sneakers. A contrast from her younger sister's more feminine attire.

"I'm sorry, guys. I should have put my medicine together in one bag," the younger girl mutters. "And maybe put my name on it-"

"Shut up, Hilda," the blonde snaps, glaring at the guard. "This isn't your fault."

The security guard groaned and ran a hand through their hair before pulling out a notepad. "Can you give me a description of the bag?" They ask and both father and daughter get irater.

"We already told you," the woman began as she pointed to the suitcase. "It looks exactly like this! Just like this!"

"You didn't write it down the first time?" The father asks, flabbergasted. "Isn't that supposed to be your job!"

"I apologize, sir."

If the security guard fucks up one more time they're probably going to kill him. That wasn't an exaggeration either. Javier's got to do something and save this poor guard from the ass beating they were about to receive. He could understand the family's anger, though. They were probably having a great time on vacation (presumably Disney judging by all the Mickey Mouse merchandise in Hilda's bag) until this happened. If he was in this situation, he'd probably do the same thing.

He motions to the bag in Jess' arms. "They have your bag, and we got hers."

"So?"

He facepalmed. "So?" He asked sarcastically. "So, we should give her back her fucking bag. Jesus Christ, Jess, her medicine is in there."

The model huffed before shoving it into Javier's arms. "I just want to get back to the house, Javi. Don't make this a big spectacle!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're going to walk over and make a big deal about who you are, and then they're going to want pictures and an autograph, and we're not going to get back to the house for another hour!"

"There's nothing wrong with meeting my fans! I'm making their day!"

"I'm tired!" She stomped her foot like a three-year-old in a toy store, reminding him when Mariana and Gabe were little. Javi was sure that they were more mature than her at that age. "I'm tired, hungover, and-"

He began to walk over to them, waving Jess off. "And you're hungry, I know," he finished much to her annoyance. "You told me this already!" He ignores her angry, offensive response as he dramatically pulled his hood down and threw off his sunglasses. TMZ, eat your heart out! He was going to be a hero! The family and guard both stop and stare when he rolls the suitcase over; Hilda and Dad are awe-struck, Mom and Sister are baffled, and the security guard still gave no fucks. "You guys looking for a suitcase?" He asked, his tone confident.

Hilda squeals and rushes over to him. "Oh my God! Thank you so much, mister!" She takes the bag from him and beams. Mom comes over and is ready to pull him into an embrace.

"Wait, I know who you are!" Pops cries, his eyes wide. "Holy shit, you're that guy from the Miami Marlins!"

That's me, he smirks as the rest of the family comes over. They're thanking him like he's the second coming of Christ and is already big ego is boosted to unthinkable levels. He always did love the attention. The only person who doesn't seem to be fawning over him is the older sister. In fact, she looks more annoyed than before.

Hilda pulls out her phone and shyly stares up at him. "Can we take a selfie?"

He wraps his arm around her and poses dramatically. Oh, he loved nothing more than taking pictures with his adoring fans. They're awesome! Next thing he knew he was giving out autographs, taking more pictures as others noticed him, and telling tales of his adventures. Jess was mad as hell, but what could she do? She'd look like the bad guy if she interfered. Mom and Dad were big fans of him, Hilda I had his People Magazine issue (that was his favorite photo shoot next to the Rolling Stone issue), but Sister was giving him a mad evil eye. Hey, he got her medicine back, show some respect!

"Hey!" He called her over. "Come on, take a picture with us!"

"Nah, I'm good," she replied, browsing her phone.

"Molly, come on!" Hilda cried.

Molly rolls her eyes and trudges over, scowling. Dad's going on about how he played baseball at The University of Tampa but he would have been the next Babe Ruth if he didn't sprain an ankle in '86 (okay, dude), and he's quickly shoved aside by Javier when Molly puts a hand on her hip. Javier wraps his arm around both her and Hilda and grins for the camera- the younger girl's doing the peace sign while Molly's still straight-faced- and he's not too happy with the picture. Why was she being such a bitch? God, she should be grateful he was spending his time with these people!

"Thanks for getting her bag, but fuck you for using her for a publicity stunt," Molly hissed through gritted teeth as Hilda runs- no skips- to her mother. What the fuck? He blinks at her, his mouth going to an 'o', "Don't act stupid," she continued, "you could've just given us the bag and went on your way, but you're doing this for attention."

"I-"

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you want me to do, huh? Kiss your ass? Go on about your career like everyone else does?"

"Well, that would be nice, blondie," He replied.

"There, here's your pat on the back," she said smacking the back of his shoulder, "I don't know how baseball lasted without you, and you're the second coming of Christ. Better?"

He smirked. "Much better," he replied as he finally began to make his way back to Jess. "I think you'd be pretty damn attractive if you smiled more! You might even be blessed to get my attention." Oh, boy she's probably so pissed, but sometimes the truth hurts. She didn't know him! She didn't know his struggles! He was a damn good person… he didn't need that reaffirmed by anyone. Javier just wanted to make his fan's dreams come true.

Ugh, it was like David was bitching at him.

* * *

The ride to the house is awkward, to say the least. Jess is curled over by the window- her sleep mask is down- and every time Javier tries to speak she flips him off. Nice. The taxi driver is jamming out to Shakira and ignoring their tension, which he appreciated because nothing is worse than an eavesdropper. David's place is only five minutes away now.

"Is there a reason why you're not talking to me?" He asked and she flipped him off again. "You know, flipping me off isn't going to solve anything."

"I'm mad at you," she huffed.

"Why?"

She turns around, rips off her mask, and scowls. "You don't know? Seriously?" She growled. "I told you not to make a spectacle and you did!"

"I didn't!"

"You did!" She crossed her arms. "You did! Don't even say you didn't because you did!"

"People love me, Jess! What do you want me to do?" Javier knocked on the taxi driver's window; the other was still singing along to 'She Wolf.' "Hey, do you know who I am?"

"Nope," the driver replied before going back to whatever the hell he was doing.

"Okay, well he doesn't know who I am, but everyone else does!" Javier said as Jess's brows furrowed. "Hey don't look at me like that! I'm gracing people with my presence."

"You're such a douche-bag."

"And you're a moron."

"Fuck you."

"That's what we do every night, babe."

"You're worser than my ex!"

"Worser isn't even a word!"

"I'm gonna rip your balls off you ass!"

"Do it, bitch!"

Click

Jess unstraps herself and wraps her fingers around his neck; she's going to suffocate him. Shakira's turned off and the car is silent. "I'm going to choke you!" She cries.

"Good thing that's my fetish," he gasped, and she's even more outraged.

She's ready to go in for the kill when a small voice gets his attention. "Uncle Javi?"

 _Oh no._

 ** _Oh dear God have mercy!_**

Both him and Jess slowly turn their heads, their eyes widening when they see that the car is still. They're at the house, the door is open, and there are four pairs of eyes staring back at them. Jess slowly moves off of him and sits back, folding her hands over her knee. Yeah, nice attempt at not looking like a nut! Great first impression. Mariana's holding the door while David stands behind her, his jaw nearly hitting the damn sidewalk; Gabe's cringing from his spot on the porch and Kate's awkwardly grinning. The first time they've gotten together in nearly five years and the first thing they see is him being choked and admitting (sarcastically) his fetish for it. Great.

Well, Yaya's not here. That would've made this situation just a little bit wors...er than it already was.

Oh, he's definitely getting his ass kicked by the end of the week.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Writing Javier's pretty tough. He's kind of a blank slate in New Frontier... personally I think he's bland, but it can be argued Clementine can be too, so I added more to him. Seeing as he never got kicked out of the MLB, he's kind of a douche-bag. Okay, never mind he's a major douche-bag! Javier's backstory (him being a gambler, mooching off of David and co., etc,) kind of implied him being a not so great person, but I really ran with it. I think all these years of him having his ass kissed, women galore, and partying has gotten to him. He's been disconnected from the real world for a while now.**_

 _ **While he does have an arc, I find Javier being important to other characters. For a lot of situations, he's the reason behind their problems (and for others blessings). He's quirky and hilarious, but needs to get his shit together even more so than Luke and Nick. And yes, we will see his crazy ass parties. Maybe we'll see David kick his ass, too (or maybe not because he might not be an asshole).**_

 ** _Molly, her sister, and parents are alright and very happy! I decided to name her sister Hilda after her pick. It just kind of made sense for Molly's weapon to be a tribute to her. I didn't give her parent's a name yet, but they're your average suburban parents (they wear Hawaiian shirts). Molly would call Javi out on his shit, though. Also, Jess is... special. Let's see how long their relationship lasts (probably not for much longer)._**

 _ **Well, the dominos are in place. It's time for the Macon Game Arc! Let's see if Duck's plan is going to blow up horrifically in his face and if Clementine's going to find Lee.**_


	8. The Road to Macon

Macon was beautiful. Clementine had spent hours upon hours of her time during the week researching the history, tourist attractions, and shopping centers of the town. Every photo she saw made her fall in love more and more with it. No longer was it in disarray- littered with bodies, debris, and crashed cars- but instead green, blooming, and full of life. She had even spent time looking up the field Duck would be playing at. It was a decent size. Clementine had never been much for baseball, or any sport really (besides soccer but she had lost interest in it years ago), but it seemed nice.

Her mind always wandered to Saturday. There was never a day where she didn't spend a good chunk of her time pondering- no worrying- over what would happen. The most probable scenario would be that she would enjoy herself, bond with Kenny and Katjaa, and form at least an acquaintanceship with Duck. But if something went wrong? If she met Lee again? There were so many possibilities (the worst being they all die or the walkers returned. Both were highly unlikely, but it happened before!) and there was an ever-constant pit in her stomach. If her parents saw her worry, they would joke about her 'crushing' on Duck; that couldn't be further from the truth. While she was excited to see her childhood friend, she wasn't that excited. He was okay in the pictures she had seen, but at the end of the day it was Duck. It would never happen.

Apparently, though, having boy or girl troubles was normal when you became a teenager. Whenever they were done joking around (more like pissing her off), Ed and Diana would try to make up for the jab and repeat over and over (like hammering a nail) that it was normal. She was normal. After living in hell on Earth for about five years, Clementine knew she would never be normal, but damn did she want to be. If crushing over boys, keeping up with the latest fashion and trends, and liking terrible boy bands was what she had to do to belong she'd do it in a heartbeat.

For some reason, someone or something was being compassionate enough to give her a second chance, and Clementine wanted it to be right. Her outfit selections weren't for any man-though her parents believed otherwise- but for herself alone. If she looked like a loser she would never fit in and get friends! What if people judged her? She had seen on television how mean her peers could be and she was not going to take any chances. She could survive walkers, gun fights, and death. Clementine had grown accustomed to it all and did okay. But a normal life? The pressures of the teenage years suddenly thrusted upon her? That was another ball-game.

Clementine had thought she had more time to prepare for Macon; back before the days felt like years. But, she had no entertainment when the world ended (or didn't in this universe). Here? There was always something to do- there was always something going on. On Wednesday, she and Ed went out on a long drive through the countryside and explored the different small towns Georgia had to offer. On Thursday, her mother took her to the mall. They didn't get anything, but she did see these weird guys in Spencer's swinging long, floppy, suspicious objects at each other before Diana steered her away. She had no idea what they were doing, but judging by the older woman's horrified expression maybe that was for the best.

Today was the big day. Clementine found herself completely terrified (a rare for her) when her alarm woke her up with its shrill beeping. It was still dark when she pulled off her covers, made her bed, and crept out of the room to take a shower. It was about six in the morning. Kenny wouldn't be picking her up until eight thirty, so she still had some time to get ready. Her clothes and towel were neatly folded on top of the toilet seat. She had left them there since the night before.

Showers were a luxury back when the world was hell. Clementine could have gone weeks upon weeks without cleaning herself- which she hated- because there was no source of water around. Even then, if she found a lake or stream, it wasn't as if she was truly washing off the dirt and grime. Any soap she had was used on AJ and the water was probably contaminated. Luke let her use his shower (much to Nick's annoyance because she used up the hot water) when she first arrived at the cabin, Jane gave her a bucket at Howes and told her to go wild, and David wouldn't even allow her that 'privilege.' She had to 'earn it.' It was foreign for the teenager that she could simply hop into the shower whenever she wanted and stay in there as long as she desired (or at least until she ran out of hot water). Gone were the days where the water would be cold as ice as soon she stepped in or a disgusting, yellowish-brown. Feeling the hot water on her skin made her realize she was in paradise- she didn't need glorious gardens in heaven- all she needed was this.

She would have stayed in the shower longer had she not began to lose the hot water. Clementine's fingers were pruning when she finally stepped out and dried herself off. She hadn't felt this refreshed in so long. Clementine ran her towel over her head, groaning when her already curly hair became even more puffed out and wild. God, it had been so long since her curls had been able to come out. The thick grease that remained unwashed for years had acted as a gel, smoothing it out. Gross. The only downside to her now natural hair was that it was somewhat difficult to put up in pigtails. It took a while, and a few broken bands, but she eventually managed to do it.

Truthfully, Clementine would have just left her hair untouched, thrown on her hat, and called it a day. No one was going to grab it and yank her back anymore, and she had always loved how it looked when it was down. But, she couldn't do that- at least, not yet. If she bumped into Lee again, she wanted him to know she listened. That she followed his advice and thrived. Clementine had kept her hair short just like he told her to. Oh, he would be so proud! She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when they saw each other again (though the odds of that happening in Macon were slim to none, she wanted to believe)!

While she still wasn't thrilled about her outfit- the jersey looked like she was trying too hard- Clementine begrudgingly put it on anyway. Maybe she should stop at the mall again later on to get an actual jersey... Oh, she could get one of the team on her hat! It would be better to have an actual sports team on her shirt than some corporate, soulless brand like Abercrombie and Fitch. She wouldn't look like such a 'poser'- someone who thinks they know a lot about something but in the end doesn't know anything at all- if it seemed like she had some idea of what she was doing. It would spare her from a total social suicide, for now.

Turning off the light, she left the bathroom and slowly crept down the hallway. Her parents were still asleep; their bedroom light would be on if they were awake. Ed and Diana would be up soon enough anyway, so it didn't really matter if she woke them up or not, but she wanted to be considerate. They deserved the extra sleep. Her mother's week long break would be ending soon and she'd back at work soon. She was an OB-GYN- she delivered babies for a living- and it required her to be up early and stay late.

Maybe if she was there for Christa and Rebecca things would have ended better for them. Hell, even Jane could have decided that life was still worth living. She and her baby would have been safe with Diana. She was the best doctor in the world!

The sun was beginning to rise. As Clementine walked down the hallway, the sun's rays peeked through the windows, barely illuminating her way. It would be another hour before there would truly be any natural light. Her bedroom was still completely dark. Clementine turned left and barely entered her room before her heart stopped.

 _There was a humanoid figure standing in the corner by her bed._

Her breath hitched. Her mind began to race- her legs felt like jelly- and she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. Of course, how could she so stupid? Why did she think this was going to last? Nothing good ever lasted for her, she should have known that by now. Why would she allow herself to get comfortable? Either she was finally waking up from this dream, was it turning into a nightmare, or would she be living through it all again? Clementine couldn't survive if she lost someone again.

She leans back on the wall and recollects herself. It had been so long since she had killed a walker. Something that Clementine was so used to- mastered- made her suddenly feel nauseous, helpless, and scared. When did she ever feel fear due to a walker? Not since it all started...

Clementine's got to take care of this before they have a chance to get out of the bedroom and attack her parents. If they had gotten into her room, then could that mean they already did get to her parents, though? Their room was closer to the steps than hers. Her heart dropped at the thought, but she quickly got a hold of herself and raced back to the shower. Pulling open every cabinet by the sink, Clementine frantically searched for something she could use. Neatly folded wash clothes were crumpled messes, tampons were thrown across the room, but none of those would kill a walker. You can't smother it to death and you can't stab it to death with a tampon. She needed something sharp...

Scissors! She needed scissors!

They weren't the best. The tips were somewhat smoothed out and the handle didn't give much security in case she missed and they turned around to get a bite, but Clementine could manage. She ran back to her bedroom, her legs still shaking, and stopped outside the door. This was it. Everything was about to change. Her paradise- her week of security- was about to end. Hopefully, this time she could keep the ones she loved safe.

Clementine held her breath and reached her hand inside, scrambling to find the light switch. The walker stood there, unmoving. Her eyes never left it as she turned on the light and stepped forward. And... and... and...

And smugly grinning back at her was the life-sized cardboard cutout of Jason Blades. Clementine went lax, her shoulders slumping forward. She glanced back at the scissors in her hands, tightly held in a fist that was ready to fight, and at the cardboard. She felt (and looked) like an idiot. Her embarrassment quickly dissipated and anger took hold. That damn cutout had given her the creeps for the past couple days. It was unsettling having him stare at her- his perfect, white teeth reflecting off her light- his eyes remaining dead and unblinking. Why would you have that in your room? What would she need this for? She didn't even know Blades, but she hated his stupid, handsome face for nearly giving her a damn heart attack.

She put the scissors down on her dresser. Clementine scowled, threw open her closet doors, and tossed Blades in before slamming them shut.

"Stay out!"

* * *

"Kenny said he would be here thirty minutes ago!"

"Traffic's probably bad. He'll be here when he gets here, relax."

She leaned back on the couch and groaned. The anticipation was killing her! Of course, Kenny had to be late. Her mother said he didn't live too far from her house, so what the hell could he be doing? Oh no, what if they forgot she was coming with them? They could be in Macon already without her! Her anxiety- which she thought was in check after the incident an hour ago- was back in full force. Ed was either oblivious or didn't care as he ignored her anguish, flipping through the channels while he sipped his coffee. Diana was making breakfast.

"So, you guys are walking around town after the game?" Ed asked.

"Yeah," Clementine replied, "if they're not already there. They probably forgot about me."

"Oh come on, Kenny and Katjaa wouldn't do that. They'll be here any minute." Diana said as she put her plate down on the table, rolling her eyes.

Ed at this point had decided to just put on the local news, having completely given up after finding a twelve hour Keeping Up With the Kardashians marathon. "You know, Macon's got this festival every year that's so nice… Diana, what's it called?"

"The Cherry Blossom Festival, Ed."

He nodded and took another sip of his coffee. "Yeah, that's it! Your mother and I went when we were dating. It's really nice. They got carnival rides and all the trees are pink!" He put down his cup and turned around in his chair. "Diana, didn't we go when we were dating?"

"No, Ed. Remember, we went when I was pregnant with Clem? The smell of the fried food made me sick."

"Oh, I forgot. We went to a music festival when we were dating!" He grinned. "It was like a Woodstock type of thing. Who was there again, honey?"

"Fleetwood Mac, Hot Tuna, Blondie, and I think Journey but I'm not too sure about that one. We were too busy making out by the porta potties when they came on.

Clementine cringed.

"What?" Diana asked with a smirk.

The teenager's nose crinkled and she stuck out her tongue. "Gross!" She whispered. "I did not need to know that…"

"Didn't we go back to that after we were married?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, and a month later I found out I was pregnant."

Clementine cried and pulled her hat down, covering her face. Her dad cackled- enjoying the pain they were putting her through- as her face turned about ten shades of red. She did not remember her parents being so embarrassing before! Oh, they were always this nasty? Was she just too blinded by nostalgia to notice this? This was just like Omid and Christa joked about Vegas night, or when Luke and Jane…

 _ **Ding**_

The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the living room. Clementine jumps off the couch and sprints to the door, nearly tripping over her own feet. Diana also stands up and begins to make her way over, but she can't beat her. Whoever's out there is still furiously ringing the bell, and it takes Clementine a second before she realizes they're attempting to play a song. Every 'ding' is longer or shorter than the other (which begins to get irritating), making a clunky, awkward beat. All three of them are eyeing the door with raised brows as it continues.

"Is that the 60's Batman theme?" Ed finally murmurs.

 _Oh, God, there's only one person who would do this._

Diana still stared at the door but said: "I think so."

 _Duck was standing right outside._

Clementine should have felt nervous. The last time she had seen her friend, he had been on the brink of death. She could recall sitting in the back of the train, watching as his condition quickly deteriorated from bad to worse. He coughed up blood every minute- soaking the dirty, old handkerchief Chuck had given Katjaa- and his breaths were shallow wet wheezes. The once rambunctious, obnoxious little boy was a pale, lifeless shell of his former self. But that was over; things were different now. That rambunctious, obnoxious little boy grew up into a rambunctious, obnoxious teenage boy.

Clementine realized she had absolutely forgotten how fucking annoying Duck was.

Ed opened the door and there he was. He wore a red and white baseball uniform- his helmet and socks were red, everything else was white- and his team name was engraved on his jersey. His cleats were caked in dry dirt. Duck waved, his grin just as goofy as it was all those years ago.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Marsh!" The fifteen-year-old said, glancing at the doorbell as if he was going to go for an encore.

Her mother crossed her arms and stared him down, clearly unamused by the display of his 'musical genius.' "Hello, Duck. That was quite a lovely performance."

"Thank you!" He beamed, completely oblivious. "Anyway, are you ready Clementine?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she began, "I've been ready for a while."

"Awesome!" He gave her two thumbs up. "My parents are waiting in the truck, so we should probably get going. It's a long drive."

"Have fun, kids!" Ed cried as the two kids began to make their way to the red truck parked on the other side of the street.

* * *

 _ **'I got my big, ol' truck, and a whole lotta luck, and I'm thinking it's time to have some fun. There's a pretty, little honey sittin' on the back of my trunk, her eyes are bluer than the skies above! I'm saying 'pretty Honey with the bleach blonde hair, you look like my cousin but I just don't care!' Ow, she's got an American flag on her shirt, my jingoistic pride is so bad that it hurts. I got my red cup and my dog Billy-Bob by my side, now it's time to get full tonight… With patriotic pride!**_

 _ **My country, the United States, is the best country and that I will state. I love my guns, Ronald Reagan and God, and most of all I love my big red truck! And when I see you standing there, with your blue eyes and bleach blonde hair! I'm reminded of why I care- instead of thinking where I went wrong- I'm singing this good ol' American song.'**_

This was hell. This was suffering. Clementine stared out the window, watching the cars go by on the highway, hoping to God they would get to Macon soon. She had been sharing an earbud with Duck for about a half an hour, but even then Kenny's fucking country music would blare through. It wasn't even good country music. This was something you would play at Gitmo during interrogations to finally get prisoners to start talking. Hell, Clementine was positive Carver would've used this as a type of torture. Thank fuck for Duck, honestly. He seemed to hate it just as much as she did, which was surprising. He had stuck his bud in her ear- she would worry about germs later- and turned up his phone to as loud as it could possibly go without making them go deaf. Though, at this point maybe that was mercy. She wouldn't have to listen to whatever in God's name this was. If she had to listen to another song about Ronald fucking Reagan, some redneck's dog, and a 'bleach blonde honey' she was going to jump out of the car. Every single one of them not only sounded the same, but it felt like it was just the same people over, and over, and over again.

Katjaa's sitting in the passenger's seat. She doesn't look much different than the last time Clementine saw her (going a bit gray at the ends, but that's what aging does) and she's just as kind. The first thing she did when Clementine got into the car was compliment her beauty and give her a huge snack bag. Clementine found herself going through most of it- there were even Yummy Cakes- and if she hadn't her appetite was already ruined from the music. Kenny had been good to her too, but he was still as stubborn as ever and getting way to into his country music. He was even singing along! Duck at this point was unfazed and simply turned up their volume louder.

Duck wasn't annoying. She owed him her life!

"Kenny, I think it's time to change the station," Katjaa says, eyeing the teenagers from the rear-view mirror.

"Come on, Kat, this is fine," the Floridian replies. "This is good music!"

The older woman sighed. "Kenny, the children aren't happy."

Kenny shook his head furiously, scowling. "I'm not puttin' on no rap-crap or that head-banging shit that Becca likes to listen to!" He turned to his wife. "You know, I let that little punk get a hold of the radio once, and I'm pretty damn sure one of those creepers were yelling 'Hail Satan!'"

"Kenny, does Clementine look the type to listen to heavy metal?"

He stared back the girl and his face softened. "No, Clem's a good kid," he began before scowling again. "But Becca? That girl needs God in her life or something!"

"Don't you think you should put on the pop station and let her enjoy herself?" Katjaa asked, finally breaking through to him. "Kenny, the girl's miserable."

"Aw, man, I don't want her to not be havin' fun…"

 _ **"And that song- Blonde Honey- was from Bubba Barkley down from the good, ol'(and one of the best states, by the way) Mississippi. Mississippi brothers, represent! But, to be honest, I like to believe all states have a hierarchy of greatness. Obviously, Texas and Mississippi are the greatest, but I think every state is beautiful in their own beautiful way. Except for New Jersey and California. New Jersey can go to hell and take those Jersey Shore and Housewife clowns with them. And California gave us the Kardashians. Need I say more cow-gents and cow-gals? I saw an episode of those bozos the other day and I-"**_

The sounds of an angry, old redneck ranting about the Kardashians changes into the upbeat vocals of Lady Gaga. Clementine's eyes widen- her ears no longer bleeding- as she slowly pulls out the earbud. She sits up and stops for a moment, taking in the glorious sound of 'Poker Face.' God has entered her prayer in the form of a middle-aged Swedish woman. She didn't owe just Duck her life, but Katjaa as well. Thank God.

Now, if only she could survive the remaining forty-five minutes of this seemingly never-ending car ride.

* * *

"Punch buggy, no punch backs!" Duck cries out of nowhere and punches Clementine's arm. The girl whips her head around and stares at the other incredulously; he's got five seconds to explain herself before she kills him. Duck's smile falters a bit- probably realizing he looked like a jackass- and he rubs the back of his neck. "You don't know about the punch buggy game?" He asked.

"No," She replied with a nod. "What is it?"

"You see, when you see a Volkswagen, it's a punch buggy! Whoever sees the car first punches the person next to them and says 'punch buggy, no punch backs!' Then, they can't punch you back! Me and my friends play it all the time!"

Clementine's mouth turned into an 'o' shape and she turned to look out the window. There was a cute, yellow Volkswagen not too far up the next lane over. She glanced at the car and then Duck, her mouth curling up into a mischievous grin, and raised her fist. "Punch buggy, no punch backs!" She hollers like it's a war cry and sucker punches Duck.

"The arm! The arm! You're only supposed to hit the arm!"

* * *

Duck banned the punch buggy game. It was a shame because Clementine found it pretty fun. They still had a half an hour until they got to Macon and she was so bored. Kenny had been going on about his fishing stories since he changed his station, presumably to drown out the Sia song playing currently. Katjaa told a couple few anecdotes about her job, but Kenny was stealing the spotlight. Then, there was Duck. She also forgot he was 'dumber than a bag of hammers' because his stupidity was coming out in spades throughout the drive.

There were juice boxes in the bag Katjaa had given her. They were the stereotypical Capri Suns, and while she had two, Duck was downing them down constantly. He not only had half a soda, a bottle of water, but also six or seven Capri Suns. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

They had stopped at two rest stops in the past half hour. The first time, Kenny was still in a cheerful mode. He even bought Clementine a keychain with her name on it (they were very rare) after she used the time to also go. The second time, Kenny was beginning to get annoyed, but still tried to remain positive for Clem's sake. She knew him well enough, though. He was pissed. Katjaa warned Duck afterward to not drink anymore, or at least drink less until they got to the city. But, he's Duck. Of course, he wouldn't listen and gulped down another bottle of water.

And here they were now, on the highway screaming at each other.

Duck's jumping around in his seat- while still strapped in- doing an interpretative dance as he holds his crotch. "There's got to be another rest stop!" He wailed. "Dad, please!"

"Duck, I told you not to drink anymore," Katjaa rubbed her temples, completely defeated. "We already stopped at two in the past half hour."

This was like a train going off the rails and Clementine couldn't look away. This was so entertaining to watch. Kenny's completely red in the face, huffing and puffing, and she knows he's about to lose his shit. Oh, this was going to be so good! She leaned against the window and put a hand on her cheek, smirking.

"Mom, I have a tiny bladder, you can't hold it against me-"

Kenny turns around so fast that he definitely got whiplash. "No, you don't have a tiny bladder!" He begins ranting. "Maw-Maw has a tiny bladder, but you know what, Duck? She can hold her piss in more than you can! You know what you're problem is, boy?" He points at his son. "You down these fucking juice boxes like they're goddamn margarita shots!"

"There's got to be a rest-stop!"

"No, you probably pissed in every rest-stop in the state!"

"What about a McDonald's or something?" Duck pleads.

"No, because then you're going to want McDonald's, I'm going to be tempted by the menu, and then everyone in the damn car is going to want McDonald's!"

"What do I do?"

Kenny abruptly pulls off the highway and parks off to the side. He motions Duck out of the car. "You're going to piss in the goddamn woods!"

"What!" Duck protests as Clementine snickers. "What, no I can't do that! What if someone sees me? What if I pee in poison ivy?"

"It's all woods! No one's going to see you! Unless you can hold it in until we get to Macon..."

Duck groans and stomps out into the woods."Remember, Duckie, leaves of three," Katjaa adds before he's out of view. Clementine's cackling at this point, slapping her knees. Kenny's still fuming, but Katjaa turns around and smirks. "Sorry, I guess you didn't expect this huh, Clementine?"

"Oh my God, I forgot how funny you all are!"

"That boy is dumber than a bag of hammers," Kenny murmurs. However, his remaining anger quickly dissipates when he notices a white Nissan Rogue parked not too far up from them. There are two women inspecting what appears to be a flat tire and clearly have no idea what they're doing. The older one, who's wearing a track suit and shades, pulls out her foot and stomps around angrily. There's another, younger one wearing a high-school cheerleading uniform sitting on the curb. Kenny sighs and nods at his wife. "Looks like they got a flat tire. I'll help them out while he's pissin," he said as he got out of the truck. "Shouldn't take me too long."

Clementine decided to follow him. She needed to stretch her legs and it would help her social skills to interact with normal, everyday strangers. Maybe, they were nice! She tags behind Kenny as they approach the broken down car, her smile immediately falling when she's in hearing distance of them.

The older one in the track suit is clearly the cheerleader's mother. She's your average middle-aged woman- her chestnut hair is put up in a bob, there are wrinkles, and her clothes scream that she's rich- but there's also something eerily familiar about her. Clementine can't put her finger on it. Her daughter, on the other hand, was gorgeous (and Clementine used that word lightly). Her dirty-blonde hair is tied up in a tight ponytail, her face is completely clear from blemishes, her nose is cute and petite, her lips are bow-shaped, and her eyes are the color emeralds. Wow, wow, wow, she looked just like the girls on TV! Yet again, there was something eerily familiar about her.

"Thirty minutes?" The mother yells into the phone. "It'll take thirty minutes for someone to come out and fix this tire!" She stamps her foot down and growls. "I am a paying customer and I think I deserve someone out here right away!"

The cheerleader notices the two and waves awkwardly. Kenny's already getting to work, kneeling down to take off the tire, while Clementine sits beside the girl. "I'm sorry," she begins with a frown. "We're probably taking up so much of your time."

"Not at all, kiddo," Kenny replies as he pulls off the flattened tire. "My boy's out pissing in the woods right now, so I needed something to do to pass the time."

She chuckles. "I just feel bad."

"Don't," Clementine says. "Are you going to Macon, too?"

"Yeah, I have a cheerleading competition!"

"Cool, my friend has a baseball game, so I'm going to watch him play!"

"My high school has the best baseball team," the cheerleader interjects. "Everyone always says that our football team is the best, and while I think it's good, our baseball team's even better." She twirls a loose strand of hair. "I always feel bad because they never get any pep rallies. Everyone else does, but they don't."

Clementine frowned. "That sucks."

"I know! I think they're so cool! The best player has an uncle in the MLB! How cool is that?"

"That's neat!"

Kenny's nearly done screwing the new tire in when the mother returns, her cell phone still clenched tightly. Her hair is slightly frazzled and she's absolutely furious. Not even Kenny's charitable deed can calm you down. In fact, she seems to be even angrier about it. Clementine can't see her eyes, but she's obviously eyeing both her and the Floridian down. Great.

"Who are you people?" She asks, pointing at them.

Kenny stood up and held his hand out. "I'm Kenny and the girl is Clementine." She doesn't shake it. "Uh… We saw you had a flat tire and we decided to help."

She relaxed. "Oh, thank you," The mother says and motions her daughter to stand up. "Normally my husband changes tires."

"It ain't no problem, ma'am." He tips his hat and smiles.

"God, I was so stressed," she began. "Normally, I'm a very put together woman, trust me. My daughter just had to be at her cheerleading competition because if she was late, she'd be disqualified!"

"Couldn't let that happen."

The woman puts a hand to her chest and sighs in relief. "Oh, no! My girl is very into cheerleading. You know, she's the best!"

"I feel the same way about my boy."

"No, you don't understand! She is the best. No other girl can compare to my Jaime!" Clementine's eyes widen and Kenny's grin falters. "She's the most beautiful girl in her class!" She leaned forward- and as if she was telling some huge secret- held her hand to her mouth. "To be truthful, some of them are very homely," she whispered.

"Mom!"

"She's also very intelligent! I mean you people are probably…. educated…" She pauses. "Well, I mean you at least have your GED, but my Jaime's got a full scholarship to Harvard!" It takes a minute for the friends to realize they were nicely called stupid. "She's president of the student council, future homecoming queen, and she was voted the speaker for graduation! All the colleges have been throwing themselves at her, but can you blame them?"

Kenny crossed his arms. "No," he grumbled, "your girl seems like she's going places…"

"Oh, yes. Not like her sister, though," her words are suddenly like venom.

"Mom!" Jaime pleads.

"You see, you got to be careful about teenagers, Kenny," she continues as if she's some parenting guru. "You got a squash any sign of rebellion before it gets worse. It's like a tumor. I didn't do it to my eldest and now look at her! Working at a hardware store at twenty-five!" She laughs much to her daughter's horror. "Oh, Kenny, don't get me wrong; as a mother, I am absolutely ashamed. But, as a coach? It's hilarious! She's the perfect example of how not to live your life!" Oh, now she thinks she's a comedian! She's glancing at them, thinking that they're going to join her, but they don't. Clementine's cringing and Kenny seems shocked that there's someone more socially awkward than he is. Get the hook and yank this woman somewhere! "Sometimes, I have to tell people she's dead because I'm so embarrassed to know her! Can you imagine if they found out I gave birth to her? She had a full ride to Yale and she screwed it up! How do you do that? Oh well, less competition for Jaime!"

"Don't you have to be at your competition," Clementine snapped.

"Yes, I do," she says, turning her attention to the teenager. "You see, Kenny! It's already starting for her! First, she's disrespectful, then she's skipping school, and the next thing you know she's working at a hardware store! I tell you, if she comes to me and tells me she's pregnant, I'm going to completely cut her off-"

"Okay, that's it!" Kenny turns and begins to walk back to the truck. Clementine turns to follow. "We're leaving, goodbye! You're batshit lady! I should have left you on the side of the goddamn road!"

She seems unfazed. "I'm raising a star, Kenny! You're just jealous because you're a hick!"

"Mom, please!"

The Floridian looks at Clementine and shakes his head. "What a fucking fruit-loop. She's like those type of mom's you see on that pageant shows with the toddlers! Goddamn!"

"I feel sorry for the older girl," she said sadly.

"Yeah, me too. I'd probably go bat-shit too if I had to have her breathing down my neck."

Duck pops out of the bushes. His hair is covered in leaves and twigs, his uniform has dirt patches on it. How he managed to this, Clementine didn't know, but he was completely unaware to what had just occurred. "Hey, sorry I took so long!" He said. "I thought I saw a bear, so I freaked out a little bit, but it was a just a bush. So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, okay…" He notices the Nissan. The mother's back in the car, but Jaime's still standing out there. He grins and waves to her. "Hey, Jaime!"

"Hey, Duck!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: I had wanted to publish this when Episode 3 came out, but school sadly got in the way. This is by far the longest chapter so far with over 6,000 words! Whew, I remember a time when I just used to publish 2,000 word long chapters.**_

 ** _RIP Jason Blades. I think, at least for Clem, seeing him in the middle of the night shrouded by darkness would trigger some type of episode for her. She's still traumatized and I wanted to show a little bit of that. But, this chapter is more funny than anything (until that wham! moment at the end. Yeah, guys. I went there.) because Duck is honestly my favorite character to write. He's hilarious. I kind of took his personality already there and mushed it together with, like, every other guy I know. The best thing about being a teenager is that you know your fellow peers pretty well. He went from an obnoxious little boy to an obnoxious teenage boy with a bladder the size of a pea._**

 _ **Also, you think that Ed and Diana would be those perfect, saint-like parents. Nah, they love to embarrass Clem. The rose-tinted goggles are off.**_

 ** _I had to listen to tons of the most stereotypical country ever to write that one section. I suffered for you guys._**


	9. The Game at Macon

Clementine had never been one for baseball. Frankly, she considered it boring compared to other sports (hockey and football, more specifically) due to its family friendly nature. With football, you have already angry, middle-aged, mostly white men together, so conflicts are inevitable. But once booze gets involved? Oh man, you better hope you're not supporting a hated team or else you were definitely going to get your ass kicked. In hockey, the players are the ones socking each other and it quickly becomes Fight Club when the spectators start picking sides. You don't get that in baseball, though.

Her parents (more her dad than her mom) were huge Atlanta Braves fans and used to take her downtown to watch the games at Turner Field. She remembered how large the stadium was- housing gifts shops, restaurants, and even a museum. Ed usually got the best seats right by the field, too. When their mascot, Homer the Brave, strutted out on the field, she would be able to poke him if she stuck her hand only entertaining bit during that snooze fest was when the baseball looking thing arrived and led a dance with all the kids. Seven-year-old Clementine loved it. Thirteen-year-old Clementine? Not so much. She needed a brawl (preferably from drunks in the stand), and you weren't going to get that from an anthropomorphic baseball who danced to Katy Perry.

But that was the MLB, not youth baseball. Youth baseball was an entirely different ball game (how ironic). Take the rowdiness and die-hard loyalty of the football fans, the crudeness of hockey fans, and mix it together to get a horrific amalgamation that are the Little League parents. The worst of both of them. Clementine didn't think it was possible, but these people may have been the most batshit insane group she had ever encountered- and that was saying a lot. The game hadn't even started yet and tensions were already brewing between the home and visiting team.

The highlight of her day would be seeing a bunch of soccer (baseball?) moms duking it out in the stands. At least when the world was shit, people were turning on each other due to food, supplies, and paranoia. Not because their precious angel struck out; which to them was a rigged move by the umpire.

The field Duck was playing at is nowhere near as nice as Turner Field. There were no restaurants, individual seats, or even bathrooms- just two port-a-potties, long, metal benches, and a college kid selling ice-cream, sodas, and pretzels at the snack bar. Of course, she wasn't expecting anything spectacular, but sitting on metal in nearly ninety-degrees while wearing shorts does not feel good. Like, the back of her thighs were on fire.

Kenny sat down beside her while Katjaa rummaged through her large summer bag, eventually pulling out a bottle of spray-on sunscreen. "Here, sweetie," she said as she handed it to the teenage girl. "Your mother texted me and asked for you to put this on. I don't want you getting burnt; it's how you get cancer."

Oh yeah, she completely forgot about sunblock. If she encountered Lee or his family, she did not want to be redder than a dish from Red Lobster. She unscrews the cap and stands up to put it on, but Katjaa quickly stops her.

"Oh, you shouldn't do it here, honey! The wind will blow it back and hit people. Try going near the bathroom."

Clementine nods and began to make her way outside of the stands to where the old, disgusting port-a-potties were. Shit and sunscreen together probably didn't smell too good. However, before she can leave, Kenny gently grabs her by the arm and pulls out his wallet.

"Sorry if this is too much to ask, darling," he says, rummaging to find five dollars. "But, I got a hankering right now for a salt pretzel. Could you stop by the stand and get me one during your travels? Maybe, you can get one for yourself, too?"

If Kenny wanted a pretzel, she was going to damn well get him a pretzel. She'd get him all the pretzels in the world. That's the least he deserved after he what did for her (or didn't considering none of the events of the past four years ever happened). She owed him for that key-chain, which she now kept nestled in her pocket. "Yeah, I'll get you huge one," she smiled and Kenny laughed.

"You're always good for a smile, Clem. Don't worry, I'll save your seat!"

And with that, she's off.

* * *

The only thing that might smell worse on a hot day than walker guts is shit. What happens if you get a bunch of old people together with already weak digestive systems and give them greasy food and port-a-potties that probably haven't been clean since before Clementine was born? The smell of death. She's stood far away as possible from them- right in the parking lot- but she was still gagging. Any appetite she had was gone. It also didn't help that angle she was standing at was causing the sunscreen to spray right into her face.

Maybe she could have covered herself up better, but whatever. She didn't burn too much- her mom and Katjaa were just being paranoid. She'd be fine. Besides, judging from the cheers and jeers from inside, the game was starting. Clementine wanted to get back with the pretzels before she missed anything.

The poor guy running the booth is being overwhelmed by the line quickly forming. Looks like everyone else had a hankering for pretzels, too. Clementine hopped into the back of the line and languished for the next fifteen minutes. The hot sun was beating down on her. Oh, if she had any extra money, she was going to buy herself a nice cold can of Coke.

After waiting for a batch of pretzels to be made and hearing the bitching of angry soccer moms because they were missing their 'stars' play, Clementine could finally order. The snack bar was technically inside- part of the administration building- and so she was significantly cooler than before. There were three windows, but only one was open. They had an ice-cream machine, bottles and cans of soda in the fridge, pretzels slowly turning on display, and rows of candy in the back. She took a step forward and put her money on the counter with a smile-

And then some bitch cut in front of her.

Now, Clementine realized it was quite rude to refer to this woman as a 'bitch', and her parents would surely disapprove, but some people are just bitches. She knew this from experience. Whether it was stealing your boat, blaming a child for someone's death and then robbing them blind, or cutting in line at a snack bar, people were bitches. That's just the way the world works. The Clementine from three or four years ago would have maybe let them go or meekly stated that she was here first, but the Clementine today had no time for bitches. If you wanted to survive in a world gone to shit, you put your foot down and start swinging if you have to.

"Excuse me," she begins, eyes narrowing as she puts her hands on her hips. "I was here first."

The woman doesn't either hear her or simply doesn't care. It's most likely the latter and that pisses her off even more. That and the fact that she looks absolutely ridiculous.

She was like a reject of that chick from the Dukes of Hazzard with her Daisy Duke shorts, knee-high cowboy boots, and a plaid shirt that was tied up to be a crop top over a neon pink bra. That wasn't what was ridiculous, though. Clementine was fine with someone confident with their body and deciding to show off (though it was suicidal to be exposed back when walkers could get the chomp on you at any time). No, the worst aspects of the outfit were the large cowboy hat she wore, thick sunglasses, and how she decided to put her blonde hair in long, low pigtails. That's what took it to being just revealing to being downright tacky. You're not a cowgirl, lady.

"Excuse me," Clementine repeats again, this time getting her attention. The woman turns around. "I was in line first."

Oh, she had earbuds to. The beautiful blonde pops them off and gasps, putting a hand to her chest. "Oh my God, were you in line first?"

"Yeah… I just said that."

'Daisy Duke' covers her face and exhales loudly. "Oh my God, I feel so bad! I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you!"

"It's okay…"

The woman's pauses for a second before her face lights up into a big, goofy grin. She takes Clementine's hands and holds them close to her chest. "Oh my God, I just had a perfect idea!" She cries. "I'm going to buy you whatever you want! Don't worry about paying me back or anything- my boyfriend's super, duper rich so he can pay!"

Would Kenny be okay with this random stranger paying for his pretzel? It wouldn't be rude to hand him back his money; he'd be saving five bucks! It would be rude, though, to refuse an offer made with good intentions. Before, she would have been wary about being stabbed in the back (sometimes literally), but it wasn't like this woman had a devious motivation or anything. So, after a moment of hesitation, the teenager grinned. "Okay, thank you!"

"Javi!" 'Daisy Duke' suddenly cups her hands and shouts, blissfully unaware that's she scared the shit out of Clementine. "Javi, I know what I want! Come here!"

You see it's a funny thing about coincidences- you don't notice it when it occurs the first couple times- but once you do it's all you can think about. Everything you've done and all the things you've seen before come back at you. You analysis all the little moments you'd otherwise never think about. Once you realize something's off, you become a paranoid mess trying to figure out why. Clementine finally had that realization.

How the fuck did Javier get all the way to Macon?

There was no possible reason why Javier Garcia would be sitting on a bench of a snack bar by a local baseball field during a high school game in Macon, Georgia. He was from Miami! He had told Clementine this when they were in jail together at Prescott! Even if he did manage to make his way up north for whatever reason, it was too much of a coincidence to not ignore the fact that they were both there at the same time. What were the chances they would both be in Macon on the same day, watching the same game, and at the same snack bar?

What were the chances that Kenny would have moved to Georgia with his family? Or that Jane and Troy not only worked at the same Howe's together but the one where she went to? What about Ben?! Actually, you know what, never mind. Ben didn't live too far from her place if he was from Stone Mountain. Forget Ben…

But, still! What were the chances this would happen? Probably extremely, extremely low.

Javier stands up, puts his hands in his pockets, and saunters over to the girls. He looks even more ridiculous than his girlfriend. At least it could be argued that her outfit was cute. Yeah, it was extremely revealing, but it had charm; Clementine actually really liked the Southern cowgirl look. However, Javier's outfit was an absolute mess. Every article of clothing- no joke, literally every article of clothing- was related to the Miami Marlins. His cap, jersey, shorts, and even shoes all had the Miami Marlin's logo. Clementine had to do a double take before cringing.

Boy, you think he was a Miami fan? It was pretty ballsy to basically advertise the Brave's biggest rivals in their territory. Sure, the people of Atlanta weren't intense as say those in Philadelphia (her father told her about the time they threw snowballs at Santa), but they got into sports. It would've been like wearing a Red Sox shirt in New York or vice versa- it was basically suicide if you were in any of the big cities. She had to keep herself from laughing when even his sunglasses had the marlin on it.

"God, what is it?" He sighs as he leans on the counter, rubbing his hand over his stubble. "What do you want?"

Jess clasps her hands together and points at the gigantic menu hanging on the wall. "I want two big ice-cream cone!"

"Babe, you're-"

"I just want the cone!" Clementine's brows raise while Javier rubs his temples, more annoyed than confused by his girlfriend's bizarre request. "I want two big cones!"

"Baby, please, not here," Javier pleaded. "Look, they have Italian ice. I'll get you Italian ice-"

She stomps her foot like AJ during a tantrum (thought that may have been an insult to the toddler) and scowls. "I want my cones!" Jess cries. "Just give my cones!"

Holy shit, Clementine had never seen an adult throw a hissy-fit like this before besides maybe Carver. Though, he never lost his mind over something as trivial as an ice-cream cone. She wouldn't put it past this woman to throw herself on the ground and start screaming. Javier looks absolutely defeated when he throws the money down on the counter, having realized long ago that he was in a constant losing battle. The cashier hands him the cones and slowly retreats back.

"Wait," Jess grabbed Clementine's hand, "my little friend needs to order! We're paying for her, too!"

She didn't consider them friends (they just met), but the loud groan from Javier is enough to accept it because this was just too good. Nothing like seeing the guy who got her into this mess suffering. His shoulder's slumped forward and he dug back into his wallet.

"What does she want?" He asked extremely passive-aggressively.

"Three pretzels and a pack of gummy worms, please?"

The baseball player goes back to order and gets even more frustrated when he's told he was to wait a few minutes for the pretzels to cook. Wow, who pissed in his cereal? Clementine had never remembered him being so snappy and miserable before- not even when they buried Mariana or got thrown in jail was he angry… All he had to do was pay for her food, and then she'd never bother him again.

Still, it wouldn't kill to have a conversation with him and hopefully snap him out of this mood. Clementine leaned back against the wall, folded her arms, and smirked. He still looked comical in his gear. "So," she began, inspecting him over once again, "you a big Marlins fan?"

Javier doesn't like that question and responds with only a frown.

Wait, if the Garcia's were from Miami and Javier played baseball….

 _Oh!_

"You play for the Marlins!"

His face lights up, a goofy grin beginning to grow. Did he want someone to notice him? Was that why he was so miserable? Aw, no one was giving Javi the time of day! Clementine could have fun with this- a lot of fun.

"You're the best baseball player in the whole wide world!"

Javier was absolutely euphoric- to the point that she considers stopping- and with raised arms cried out. "Yes! God, yes!" Even the kid behind the counter is concerned and pokes his head out; Jess is blissfully unaware on her phone. "Oh my God, thank you!"

She hadn't been serious. Clementine didn't know whether to find it hilarious or pathetic that this grown ass man was moping around because no one was giving him attention. This must've been another difference here; Jane was more open and rocked a longer hairdo, and Javier was an attention whore. He must have been one of the few who was changed for the better by the apocalypse.

"I was hoping someone would notice me," he says. Oh yeah, this wasn't funny anymore- just pathetic.

"No one was?" She asked.

"No, I tried not to make it too obvious, but I was hoping people would recognize me. Usually, when I'm in Atlanta, everybody and their mother are just throwing themselves at me."

Jess nods, her eyes never leaving her screen. "This is true."

"Thanks, babe," he kissed her forehead before continuing. "But, it's amazing when people see me because they get so happy! They want pictures of me and autographs, and that makes me happy. When people are happy, I'm happy! But when people aren't happy, I'm not happy. You feel me?"

What the fuck was he on about? As a wise man once said; 'I don't know what you're saying, but I'm sure it's a bunch of bullshit!' On a serious note, there was no way this was the same Javier who fought by her side against the New Frontier. The Javier who selflessly spent years caring for his niece and nephew and tried to be the father they didn't have. Clementine just couldn't fathom that this blabbering, nearly incoherent moron was Javier Garcia.

He paid for her stuff, so she's got no choice but to smile and agree- even though it was the dumbest jargon she's ever listened to. "I feel you," she began, "I feel you."

"I don't like saying most people are fans of me, but it's really true, honestly." The counter window opens and her pretzels and candy are placed down. She sighs in relief until she realizes she's got to find a way out of this conversation because he's not stopping anytime soon. "Even if someone hates my guts, they still want me to sign their stuff, and that just makes me feel so good. "

Clementine eyes her food. "That's nice… Feeling good is good..."

"Feeling good is good," Javier agreed, "but not as good as being recognized for your handwork and talent." He paused for a second. "Can I tell you a story?

"Do you have to?"

"I got to get this off my chest."

"Okay… Go ahead."

He leaned forward and folded his hands. "My most amazing fan experience was when I saw a meme going around on Vine and saw this hot chick making out with a cardboard cutout of me-"

"That's weird. I wouldn't consider that a great experience," Clementine replied.

"No, you don't get it! She did this crazy ass thing to get my attention! She recognized me for my handwork and sacrificed her social life and possible career for me! She bought a life-sized cutout of me with her own money!" Javier was on the brink of tears. "All for me, that's amazing!"

She needed to get out of this and fast. Oh God, she was missing so much of the game. Clementine couldn't believe that she wanted to watch a boring baseball game right now. Anything was better than talking to this clown, though. How the mighty have fallen…

Jess has her cones placed under her mouth like a fucking walrus. Why? Clementine didn't have the patience to come up with reasons as to why this adult woman in her mid-twenties was pretending to be a walrus. She just wanted her food and an opening to get the fuck out of here. The blonde turns to him, and with the cones still up against her face, says "I think you have a complex. Either that or you're just an attention whore."

 _Yeah, no shit, Sherlock._

Javier simply waves her off. "Please, Jess, if desiring the love and validation of my fans and friends makes me an attention whore, then so be it. I will accept that title."

"At least you're honest," Clementine muttered, trying to make her way to the counter. "Look, I really gotta go… My friend is playing out there and I'm missing so much of the game."

"Thank you for noticing me, child."

She juggled the pretzels and the bag of candy. "No, thank you for blessing me with your presence."

What happens next though is surreal- time literally seems to slow down to a halt when Javier suddenly yanks her cap right off her head. She had no time to react or do much of anything (she would've dropped the plates) as he pulls out a Sharpie from his pocket.

 _No!_

 ** _No, no, no!_**

Her breath hitched the second he uncapped the marker-a strong smell of alcohol emitted from it- and slowly made it's way over to the center of her hat. He couldn't… He-He wouldn't… Please, don't. It's too late, though. Javier's already signing his name before she can even protest. Her heart dropped when she saw him dramatically wave the pen around and scribble on most of her hat. Nearly every space in the center- except for the D- was his signature.

Clementine was ready to commit murder when he plopped it back on her head and gave her a pat on the back. Javier remained blissfully unaware even though she was seething at this point. "There you go, kiddo. A free autograph by yours truly! Keep it close to your heart and make it a family heirloom, or sell it on eBay for a shit ton of money!" Javier winked. "You just hit the jackpot, tiger!"

She stormed out of the snack bar- trying her best to control her anger and not commit a homicide- never bothering to look back at the older man. To bad murder was illegal because Javier would so fucking dead. He was lucky. Clementine may not have had a weapon on her at the moment, but she could easily improvise with a plastic fork and some styrofoam.

She can hear Javi talking to his girlfriend, her blood boiling even more. "What? Was it something I said? God, some people are so ungrateful."

"She's just overwhelmed with happiness, baby."

"I'm overwhelmed with happiness, too."

"I'm overwhelmed with happiness- that you're overwhelmed with happiness- because she's overwhelmed with happiness."

"I'm overwhelmed now because you just told me that you're overwhelmed because I'm overwhelmed that she's overwhelmed…"

"We're both such good people."

* * *

"There you are, darling! What took you so long?"

Clementine handed Kenny and Katjaa their food before slouching forward on the bench with a huff. The pretzels were definitely cold by now, but hopefully, they wouldn't mind. She was still too pissed about her hat too even respond to Kenny's question. Thankfully, though he notices the autograph and his brows raised.

"What happened to your hat?" He asked before squinting at it. "Who signed it?"

"Javi fucking Garcia," Clementine snapped, immediately regretting it. Kenny didn't deserve the brunt of her anger. "I thought it would just be on the brim or something… I didn't even want him to sign it!"

"That ain't even a Marlin's hat!"

"My dad gave me this!" She really didn't want to cry in front of Kenny and Katjaa, but her hat was ruined! How could she be able to wear it? When she'd go out, people would try to steal it or offer to buy it- who wears an autographed cap in public!

Katjaa leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright," the older woman said soothingly. "I'm sure we can get it out."

"It's Sharpie, though."

"I've learned with having Duck that you can get anything stain out if you try hard enough," Katjaa beamed.

Clementine tried to smile back at her but how could she? You couldn't get blood out of it- she had tried everything- Sharpie probably wasn't going to come out either. There's a reason why it's called a permanent marker. She couldn't just get a new one! It wouldn't be the same. That was her dad's hat and he passed it down to her.

She tried watching the game. Duck was up to pitch, and he was good, but Clementine's mind just kept going back to her cap. When he got three players out, she just couldn't feel the joy and excitement that Kenny and Katjaa were. Duck was probably the best player there, no doubt- he was like an entirely different person up there. The teenage boy studied everyone on the opposing team and mentally noted their strengths and weaknesses in order to throw a pitch that would get them out most of the time. He was calm, cool, and collected, unlike his usual self to the point it was surreal. Duck probably tried this hard in anything (including schoolwork)! The other guy who was hitting home runs like they were a walk in the park was also good, but he was far too cocky for Clementine's taste.

 _When you're too confident in yourself, it usually winds up biting you in the ass._

Her attempts at cheering were weak compared to Kenny and Katjaa- who both were making her ears bleed- and after a while, she'd just let out a pathetic 'whoop' when they scored. Even the soccer (baseball?) moms were jeering at one another, she couldn't laugh at it. Her beloved hat would forever have Javier Garcia embedded into it.

When she felt a small tap on her shoulder, Clementine cursed under her breath. Great, were people making offers already? She didn't even bother to turn around as a small voice broke out behind her. "Hey," they began, "did you say something earlier about Javier Garcia?"

Oh God, it was starting!

"Yeah, and my hat is not for sale," Clementine replied.

They're quiet for a moment before letting out a giggle. "No, I don't want your hat," they laughed. "My dad told me that if he starts any trouble, I got to report it to him! Javi's my uncle, so…"

Clementine whipped her head around so fast she nearly pulled a muscle and found herself face to face with Mariana Garcia. She had never really gotten the chance to talk to the younger girl before she was killed by the New Frontier, but most of the Garcia's raved about how good of a kid she was. It was a shame she lost her life so young, but sadly it was common. If anything, the Garcia's were lucky. Most don't get years into an apocalypse without losing a lot of people. Either that or Clementine was a walking death magnet- she was starting to believe in the latter.

Why the fuck were Javier and Mariana here? Jesus Christ, did this mean David was with them? Clementine's patience- which had been thin already- would not be able to withstand an encounter with him. She'd honest to God kill that piece of shit baby killer right there and then. AJ was okay though, Clementine had to remind herself, he's with Alvin and Rebecca. At least, he should be. David wasn't in the New Frontier, it never existed, and all was right in the world.

This didn't stop her from still wanting to punch him in the face.

Mariana messed with her braid and awkwardly grinned. "I know a way to get the marker out," she said, getting Clementine's full attention. "I mean, it won't get it out all the way, but it should be faded enough that it won't be too visible."

"You can do that?" Clementine cocked her head to the side and raised a brow.

"Yeah, My Yaya taught me how!"

She didn't know who 'Yaya' was, but if Mariana could get this asshole's autograph off, they both were forever in her debt. Clementine had never accepted an offer that fast before in her life, watching with awe as her potential savior tapped Kenny's shoulder. "Can you watch my spot for me, Mr. Matthews? At least, until my dad and Kate come back?" Mariana asked the older man.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," he said, clearly too focused on the game to care. Mariana rolled her eyes with a smirk, motioned the teenager to follow her, and the two were soon off. Another question- and they seemed endless at this point- began to form in Clementine's mind.

 ** _How the hell did Mariana and Kenny know each other?_**

* * *

They wind up making their way back to the port-a-potties much to Clementine's chagrin. Thankfully, there was no line, but it had been about an hour since the game started and it was ripe around there. She scrunched up her nose when she was hit with the 'lovely' stench. Mariana resorted to breathing out of her mouth.

It was strange talking to the younger girl. Not because she had seen her get shot to death, but because of how normal she was. Duck never changed- he was always his same, obnoxious self- but Mariana had survived for four years in the new world. The new world never happened, though. Not here at least, and by talking to her it was revealed she was a completely normal, adjusted ten-year-old girl. She loved cats (if that wasn't obvious by the tank top she was wearing with a cat in a burrito on it- they called it a purrito) and had a kitten named Nemo at home, she liked to do laundry with Yaya, and her favorite singer was Selena Gomez.

She had been going on about how Nemo was a surprise for her birthday when they finally got to the bathrooms. Mariana opened the door and walked into the stall. "Alright, I know this is gross, but I'm going to need your hat. I'll make this as fast as possible, I promise."

Clementine hesitated for a moment before handing it over. It wasn't like Mariana could possibly damage it even more. "How exactly are you going to get it out?" She asked.

"Hand sanitizer!" The girl cheerfully replied as she grabbed a paper towel and put it under the sanitizer dispenser.

"Hand sanitizer? Really…?"

"Yeah, it's got rubbing alcohol in it and that's a known stain remover! You can totally get Sharpie out with it… Come on, don't look at me like that."

Clementine shrugged. "Well, I trust you."

"You're lucky," Mariana said while scrubbing her hat. "My uncle likes using gold and silver markers- not black. This should fade pretty fast, and no one will notice!"

"Your uncle could have at least signed on the brim or something," Clementine replied, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, he always takes up most of the space because he wants everyone to see his name! Also, if you want to get another autograph from someone else, there's no room for them to sign."

"Douche-bag…"

"Well… Yeah, you're not wrong…"

Mariana scrubbed for about fifteen minutes- going through several paper towels and probably draining most of the supply of hand sanitizer- before handing Clementine back her hat. She traced over where the stain was, and while it was still there, it was significantly faded. Most wouldn't be able to tell what it was- just a light gray scribble. She quickly put it back on her head; she had felt so naked without it. "Thanks," Clementine grinned.

"No problem, I know how my uncle can be. Come on, we should get back!"

"We've probably missed most of the game."

Mariana shrugged and stepped out of the port-a-potty. "Eh, whatever, I'm sure they won."

"So, how do you know Kenny and Katjaa anyway?" Clementine finally asked as they began to make their way back to the stands.

"Duck's friends with my brother," the younger girl replied. "And my dad's friends with Mr. Matthews, so I see them a lot."

Kenny and David being friends? Clementine was now one-hundred percent sure she was living in an episode of the Twilight Zone. If Kenny had been alive during her stay with the New Frontier, he would have a put a bullet in the other man's head for sure. No way would he let him live if he saw that stunt he pulled with AJ. How he left them both to die…

Wait, a minute, Duck was friends with Gabe? Mariana, Javier, and presumably David couldn't just be here to watch Duck… Oh Jesus, if he was on the team…

"My brother was the one who kept getting the home runs and triples," Mariana says, answering her concerns. "He's so good! My step-mom think he's going to be like my uncle when he grows up-"

"I hope not."

She laughed at that. "That's what my dad says!"

Was Gabe that cocky one? He had to be because no one else was hitting that well. Great, so she was probably going to bump into him and his old man as well (like meeting Javier wasn't bad enough). And he was buddies with Duck, so they'd be inseparable throughout the day.

 _Well, this was just peachy._

* * *

The game's over by the time they're back. Most of the spectators are beginning to slowly head out, so it's much easier to get back to their seats. Sure enough, David's there chatting with Kenny and Katjaa- Kate stands behind him awkwardly, like she doesn't want to be there. It's taking everything in Clementine's power not to grab a baseball bat and beat him with it.

"Your kid's great out there," Kenny cried, patting the younger man on the back. "I mean, my boy's great too, but we wouldn't have won without Gabe!"

"For a minute, I was worried. The game was so close, but I knew Gabe had something up his sleeve," David replied, his voice full of pride. "My son's great like that!"

"And even Javi was impressed!" Kate suddenly interjected.

David's face fell into a scowl. "Yeah," he grumbled, "even Javi was impressed…" He lit up again when he saw Mariana and Clementine. "Hey, sweetie, where were you at? You missed the game."

"I was helping Clementine here," Mariana replied, pointing to the teenager. "She got marker on her hat and I got it out for her."

"Well, that's nice..."

Clementine rolled her eyes. _Yeah, yeah, fuck you too, David._ Once an asshole, always an asshole. Thankfully, she doesn't have to be in his presence long before Katjaa's tapping her shoulder. "Duck came up here asking for you," she smiled, "he's in the locker rooms. Apparently, he wants to introduce you to the team!"

Anything is better than being stuck with David- and Duck and his merry band of assholes would surely be entertaining at the very least- so why the hell not? By the time she was done meeting them, the Garcia's would hopefully be gone and they could begin to walk around Macon. She was so close to getting into the Everett Pharmacy!

* * *

You know what? Maybe it was a mistake going into the locker rooms. Clementine regretted going down there the moment she stepped on the field, hearing their jeers from a mile away. It also reeked of BO. Gross.

All of the boys were joking with another, celebrating their victory, but some were changing out of their uniforms, downing Gatorade like an alcoholic at an all-you-can-drink special, or using the showers (which thankfully had curtains). Clementine couldn't see Duck or Gabe, but Javier was there sitting on one of the benches and bragging about his achievements. Unlike her, though, the players were on the edge of their seats and adamantly paying attention to all the bullshit coming out of his mouth.

They hadn't noticed her for quite some time before a bespectacled, scrawny kid gaped at her like a fish and pointed her out to a teammate. Together the two of them raised a brow, unsure of what to do. Surely, they've seen girls before, right?

"Why's there a girl in here?" The boy with glasses murmured. "Is she someone's girlfriend or something?"

"Maybe a sister," the other boy replied, "I don't know."

"Drew, dude, what do we do? Do we, like, kick her out?"

Drew shrugged, his eyes never leaving Clementine, who was starting to get pissed. "I don't know, dude." Jesus, did these morons think she was deaf?

"Where's Duck?" Clementine asked, putting her hands on her hips. "He told me to come down here."

Now the other players are paying attention, and just when she thought they couldn't be even more embarrassing, they one-up each other. Crude comments are made towards her and Duck by a couple boys, some just stare at her as if she had two heads, and one kid who had gotten out of the shower fully dressed ran back in the second they made eye contact, nearly slipping. Yep, they were idiots.

"He's still in the shower," the boy with glasses pointed down the hall. "H-He should be out soon…"

"Alright," she replied. "I'll sit here on this bench then and wait for him."

"Wait, I-"

She plopped down before he can even protest. Clementine grabbed a uniform she was sitting on, cringing at how wet it was, and tossed it to the side. The boys had no clue what to do. They simply watched- and she ignored them- as all of them waited for Duck. Hey, they were making this awkward! Not even when Javier comes over, inspecting her hat, does Clementine show a hint of emotion.

"I'm not mad you got rid of my autograph," Javier said.

"Good," Clementine replied, "because I didn't ask for one."

He rolled his eyes. "Didn't think I needed permission… I thought you would be grateful just getting one."

"Whatever."

"Oh well, you're going to regret that in about thirty years when my name is up there with Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig. You could sell that hat for millions!"

"I'll lose sleep about it then."

"Your loss. At least these guys get it," he scoffed just as one of the boys came by, begging for an autograph. The older man laughed, took out his Sharpie, and scribbled on his ball before shaking his hand. "That kid's never going to wash his hand again."

"Don't you have a girlfriend to get back to? Or is she too busy pretending to be a walrus with her cones?"

"No, actually, she's taking her power nap."

"Power nap?"

"She takes a nap every day in the middle of the afternoon, and if she doesn't she loses her shit- like, throws a temper tantrum. I don't know why, but it keeps her up all night, which is good for me!"

"Gross."

Javier waved her off and went back to bragging to the other boys. "Ah, whatever kid."

Just then, one of the shower curtains flew open and out came Duck. Thankfully, he was fully clothed- wearing a black graphic t-shirt with the Batman logo on it, denim shorts, and red sneakers. He wrapped a towel around his neck, his hair was still dripping wet, and approached her with a smirk. "Sorry," he began, "were these assholes giving you problems?"

"They act like they've never talked to a girl before…"

"Well, most of them haven't besides their mothers and sisters, so give them a pass on that one," he winked.

"You played good today, Duck."

He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aw, shucks, I'm not as great the other guys." Wow, this was not like Duck at all. Clementine honestly expected him to be bombastic and larger than life, not humble. "Here, let me introduce you to Stone Mountain's dream team."

Duck patted Drew on the back. "This is Drew, and he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet."

"Thanks, Duck… Wait, are you using my towel-"

"And this nerd is Ralph," he said, pointing to the bespectacled boy who called her out earlier. "His nickname is Harry because he looks like Harry Potter."

For the next five minutes, Duck went through every player on the team much to their annoyance. He may have raved about them in their introductions, but there were some passive-aggressive jabs here and there that made Clementine chuckle. Joey, for example, nearly threw up on Jaime Johnson after asking her to the prom last year. She didn't go with him. Another boy, Felix, got the lowest possible grade on his Italian final last year and he wore that badge with pride. In fact, he even came up to Clementine and tried to hit on her using that information.

 _Nothing like wooing a girl with a failed test._

She's still wondering where the hell Gabe is when a boy steps out of one of the showers. He's wearing shorts (thank God) but he's got his shirt over his head while he staggers over to the group. Wow, Clementine didn't know what she expected, but this kid needed to eat a burger or something, damn. He was practically skin and bones. It's only when he finally pulls down his tee does she discover that this guy's Gabe.

They blink at each other for a good thirty seconds, all while his face turns numerous shades of red before he runs back into the shower. "Fuck!" He cried as the other boys busted out laughing.

"And this motherfucker is Gabe," Duck cackled, nudging her arm. "The best batter on the team, my best friend, and the biggest asshole of them all." He turned his head to the back. "Yo, Gabe, you good?"

The other boy peeked out and scowled. "Am I good? Dude, what the fuck! You brought a chick into the fucking locker room, man! That's, like, the ultimate betrayal!"

"What, you worried I'm not impressed by your non-existent six pack?" Clementine joked, getting hoots and hollers from the players.

Gabe's brows raised before pointing at her. "See, Duck! Now, I got to worry about you bringing in more chicks that foster our self-confidence issues."

"Yo, this isn't just some 'chick', Gabe," Duck replied. "This is Clementine. And I don't have self-confidence issues, my dude. You do."

Javier turns around from signing Felix's baseball card and chimed in. "Hey, you know you're in the big leagues when there are women in the locker room, kid. Only you would fucking whine about it."

"Duck, I didn't even think you were going to bring her. I-I thought you were bullshitting me or something… Fuck!" Gabe ran a hand through his hair, ignoring his uncle.

"Wait," Clementine turned to Duck, her eyes narrowing, "you told him I was coming?"

"Of course, I did-"

"Does she not know?" Gabe gasped. "You never fucking told her, did you?"

"Tell me about what?"

"W-Well… I was going to… If you sucked today-"

"Dude!"

Okay, there was some fishy going on and Clementine did not like where this was going. The other players- including Javier- were silent as the two friends bickered back and forth and soon the pieces were coming together. Each response was a bombshell after bombshell. Someone was getting their ass kicked by Clementine for sure.

"You know how important this championship is coming up, man. If you're not on your A-game we're fucked!"

Gabe jabbed his finger into the other's chest. "Yeah, and I wasn't! I don't need a fucking girlfriend to do good!"

"You were all depressed, dude. I didn't want to take that chance… We went over this!"

"And I thought you were bullshitting me!"

Duck can't get out another word before he's being turned around and yanked forward by his collar. Amber, rage-filled eyes meet brown as Clementine is nose to nose with him. She had heard enough. "You, me, outside, now," the girl hissed through gritted teeth.

Duck's eyes widen like saucers and the boys murmur amongst themselves.

"World Star!" Clementine hears Javier break the silence, angering her even more. "Yo, you better beat the shit out of him so this can go on World Star!"

She pulled the teenage boy by his ear out of the locker room and by the port-a-potties; the sun already beginning to set. The players watched in horror as they went out of view, unsure whether to help their companion or leave him to his fate. Javier had his phone out, though, ready to record a brawl that could occur.

"RIP, Duck!" Someone, most likely Gabe, cries out. "You're not dead, but you're gonna wish you were!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Remember how I said that the last chapter was the longest... Yeah, this one beats it by a long-shot. Truthfully, I went through multiple scrapped plots for this chapter (the Garcia's road-trip down to Macon, the whole game itself, etc) but I can't write sports to save my goddamn life. It's fun to watch, but not very fun to write. So, Duck's game is more of a way to introduce more characters and get the plot rolling... I was surprised this was the most anticipated moment so far (besides the elephant in the room that rhymes with Bee, lmao).**_

 _ **Duck's plan fell apart just like how I imagined it would. It's not Gabe that's going to kick his ass, it's Clementine. Also, teenage boys are extremely awkward and I wanted to portray it with Duck's team-mates. It's so awkward for them having Clem in their space.**_

 _ **I know people have been iffy on douchey Javi, but it's pretty set in canon that this guy was a huge asshole while he was in the league and even afterwards when he was crashing with David. Considering this is where he's never been caught for gambling and has retreated into the glamor of Hollywood life after his dad's death, he's going to be a dick. Don't worry, he'll get his just deserts later, but his douchey, over the top behavior is extremely important for the story for now.**_

 _ **I say officially the story has started. I know it obviously began back in Chapter 1, but the introductions are over and the ball is rolling. I call this the Macon Arc. To see this story get as big as it has been is amazing. Never in a million years did I ever consider this getting so huge. I love all you guys! Remember, your reviews and feedback are extremely appreciated and keep me going! I treasure every single one I get. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling!**_

 _ **Until next time! :D**_


	10. The Grocery Store

Nick and Luke were not on the best terms at the moment. When you're living with someone, fights are inevitable. They fought before- always butted heads over something stupid- but made up. Usually, it was less than a couple hours before the two lifelong friends were back to goofing off and playing rounds of Mortal Kombat, but it felt different this time. They still spoke; they had to as housemates, but it had been three days and you could cut the tension with a knife.

It had been during those three days, and the confrontation with Kenny, that Nick had an epiphany. This life of slacking, boozing, and waiting for the next big break was something he couldn't do anymore. It had been fun in their early twenties, but downright sad at nearly thirty. He vowed to never become his father, but when he looked in the mirror every passing day, all he could see was him.

Nick shared a lot of traits with his old man; he had his bright, piercing blue eyes, slightly crooked nose, and lanky, awkward body (which his dad had lost due to eating fast food and heavily drinking every day. When Luke had found some of the few pictures of his dad in his younger years that weren't ripped up, he mistook Nick for him. Apparently, he didn't just share a physical appearance, but fate as well if he didn't get his act together. God, he could see it now- he and Luke would be driving in their beat up jalopy down the streets of Las Vegas or Atlantic City, trying to hit on young blondes, and looking like Carl from _Aqua_ _Teen Hunger Force_. Luke could go down that route and lose his pretty boy status, but not Nick (he wasn't even attractive to begin with). He wasn't going to be balding, greasy, and wearing wife-beaters like his dad. That would kill Pete.

Uncle Pete had tried so hard to keep him on the right track, treated him like the son he never had, and all he got in return was a lazy, piece of shit for a nephew. He did everything possible to keep Nick from becoming his father. It hurt to know his uncle no longer trusted him- no longer believed in him- but Nick understood. How much can you invest and sacrifice before having to throw in the towel? How much support can you give when you know your nephew is scamming, lying around, and boozing all day? He'd make Pete proud again, though. He'd make his mom proud, too. She never asked for much- just for him to be happy with whatever he was doing and grandkids, though the latter was always said in a sarcastic tone. He wanted kids, so it would kill two birds with one stone. She would honest to God get her grandchildren and know he was finally at peace. He just wished she'd be around to see them grow up and for them to know the wonderful woman she was.

But, he'd tell his child all about her. He'd tell them stories of how his mother abandoned her dreams to raise him, how she could do anything if she put her mind to it, and how much she loved them. They would grow up with the belief that their grandmother was always watching over them.

Nick wanted the marriage his parents never had- the family he never had. He would be the dutiful, doting husband and the loving, present father. There'd be no screaming, no abandonment, no domestic abuse, no shaking newborns because their colic kept him up all night… Yeah, his old man did all of that, including the last one. It had been the last straw for his mother, who promptly filed for divorce and lived with Pete for a month or so before finding an apartment.

 _No, Nick wasn't like his dad…_

He'd never hurt anyone; not his lover, or animal, and especially not a child… Not the person who someday would love him and he would love back… Not the little boy or girl who would look up at him with large eyes, thinking that he knew all, could do all, and never doubted for a second that he loved and would protect them with every fiber of his being.

Luke referred to his mindset as 'baby crazy', but Nick honestly couldn't have given a fuck what he thought at this point. He still loved the guy, though. Luke was his brother. Just… If he wanted to fuck up his life, fine, but Nick wasn't going down with him. Not anymore.

Hopefully, once school starts up and Luke gets his first couple paychecks, they wouldn't be eating ramen noodles and pre-made, microwaveable dinners anymore. Nick didn't know how long Luke would last in there; no way was the other man ready to handle teenagers. He probably thought he was going to be the cool teacher or something, always cracking jokes and treated as one of the guys by the students. Yeah, that would go down well. Teenagers were like piranhas- once they smelled blood in the water, weakness of any kind, they would tear you apart until you were nothing but a husk. They knew an ass-kisser when they see one. God, Luke was going to leave that place a broken man. The only people worse than high schoolers were middle school students.

Hey, but if by some miracle he did manage to last, maybe Luke would also get his shit together. Nick hoped Luke could hold the job. If they didn't get a good meal in them soon, they'd be dead of heart disease… or liver failure. Currently, he was trying to sort their coupons at the supermarket, hoping he could find a bargain. God, he probably looked like one of those crazy couponers that you saw on TV. Luke had tossed him a huge stack- having gotten into the whole couponing craze last month- and told him to go wild. He must have spent hours cutting and organizing them.

Too bad most of these were either expired or a total waste. Nick couldn't get jackshit with these! You can't eat tampons and toilet paper! Actually, the toilet paper was useful…

He eyed the produce aisle longingly. September couldn't come soon enough. Nick would have the biggest salad! Oh, maybe he would save up and buy a new grill and make some burgers! Burgers made out of actual meat and not that artificial, frozen shit. He was tempted to buy some of the bagged organic salads until he saw how expensive they were. It would be so much easier to eat healthier if all the good stuff didn't cost a fortune.

Fuck it, they were having _Spongebob Mac & Cheese_ tonight. Luke probably wouldn't complain, he ate everything. That was the best thing about having him for a roommate. He tossed two boxes into the cart and began to make his way to the checkout aisle, not paying attention to his surroundings. It was a horrible habit of his- it plagued him during his school years- and his gaze wandered to the different snacks on the opposite shelf. Oh, man, they brought back _Hi-C_ _Ecto Cooler_?! Holy shit, he lived on that drink when he was a kid!

 _Luke would understand…_

Absentmindedly turning his cart around, he raced over to the beloved juice pouches, ignoring the box he just ran over. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to pay for it. It made a loud crunch that could only mean it was broken-

 ** _"Ow, fuck!"_**

Nick's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets when he realizes he didn't run over a box, but someone's foot. Oh, Jesus, of course, it would be him… He was such a fucking idiot!

His victim was staring at him, eyes narrowed as she cradled her foot, she bit her lip, struggling to hold back another cry. All of a sudden, it felt like it was over a hundred degrees (even though he was close to the frozen food aisle), and Nick messed with the collar of his t-shirt. He couldn't even keep eye-contact with her.

She knitted her brows, pursed her lips, and cursed under her breath. "You going to just stand there, asshole, or are you going to apologize for ripping my fucking toenail off?"

Nick thought she was overreacting at first until she moved her hand away to reveal that not only were they bloody, but yeah, the big toenail on her left foot was gone. Like, it was completely detached and on the floor gone. Oh, no! His jaw dropped and he took off his cap to run a hand through his hair. Was he going to be sued? Shit, he couldn't go to court!

He stops himself when he sees that her lip is quivering and her eyes are welling with tears. Jesus, he felt terrible. "Oh, God…" He muttered as he knelt down to inspect the damage. There was a moderate amount of blood streaming down her foot and onto the tile floor. "I-I'm so sorry."

"The one day I decide to wear flip-flops and this happens," she whimpers, groaning when he got too close. "Fuck, this really hurts!"

Nick slowly took her foot out of the flip-flop and inspected it. With the weight of his cart, he could have easily broken a bone, and just wanted to make sure nothing else was wrong. Her feet and toes were so delicate and tiny… Some blood got on his fingers, which would normally make him queasy, but he tried to brush it off. Nick needed to find a way to stop the bleeding. Luckily for them, they were in a supermarket.

He pulled his cart over and pulled out a roll of paper towels. It wasn't perfect, but it would stop the blood flow just enough to not leak through the wrappings that would need to be put on. "I'm so fucking stupid," he muttered, placing a piece of paper towel down.

The girl's breath hitches. "You know, you don't have to run over cute girl's feet to get them to notice you," she weakly says with a smirk. Nick pulled his hat down as his face turned fifty shades of pink. "Saying hi is a good introduction… usually, doesn't end with blood and a ripped off toenail."

Was she hitting on him? No way. Nick bit his lip. "Y-Yeah, sorry…" He mumbled, fidgeting. He placed more towels down and held her toe tight- things couldn't be more awkward right now. Hopefully, an employee would handle the rest, so he could get the hell out of there and never return. Luke was on grocery duty for now on.

"It's fine," she replied, "I'm Molly by the way."

"Nick…"

She smirked. "Well, Nick, has anyone told you that you need to watch where you're going?"

"Uh… Yeah…" He lifted up the now soaked paper towels and sighed. It would probably take a few more minutes before the wound stopped bleeding, but it needed to be disinfected. God only knows what germs the wheel of that cart carried. "I'm going to need to get _Neosporin_. Here," he helped her down, "you should sit. You're putting pressure on the toe when you're standing on it- it's making it bleed more."

"You've done this before?" Molly asked.

Nick nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "My uncle broke his toenail during a fishing trip- he dropped a cooler on his foot. It didn't rip off like yours, but it bled a lot. We had to take care of it until we could get back to land…"

She stares up at him, paying attention to every word he says, and Nick can't help but notice how intense her eyes are. They're a dark blue unlike his; they could pass for several other shades and even black, but at this angle they were navy. Before, he swore they were indigo. "Uh, are you just going to keep staring at me, or are you going to get the _Neosporin_?"

Nick jumped. "Shit, yeah," he said, before running off, quickly scouring the other aisles for the disinfectant. It took him a bit- the cleaning, pet, and bakery aisle obviously didn't have anything- but he eventually found _Neosporin_ on the other side of the store by the pharmacy. Luke knew the layout of this place better. Nick snatched it off the shelf, not worrying about paying for it and made his way back.

An African-American couple with their toddler quickly walked by and cringed. Nick could see a small crowd of people standing at a distance and gawking at the scene; it was bystander effect. Either they were too disgusted to do something, or they felt as if the situation was under control- probably more of the former than the latter. Molly sighed in relief when Nick knelt down and uncapped the _Neosporin_.

"Thank God," she began, motioning towards the crowd. "These guys have been staring at me for the past five minutes." She winced. "One of the employees came by right after you left and was getting a first aid kit. I think they want a show..."

"Hopefully, he comes back soon," Nick replied, "I'm going to need to wrap this." One of the men watching had his phone out and was ready to call 9-1-1. "An ambulance wouldn't waste it's time getting you, sorry."

"Hey, I'm walking out of here," Molly grimaced while he put the disinfectant on. "Damn, that hurts," she murmured.

"That's a good attitude to have." Nick hoped that the employee would come with the first aid kit soon. The crowd muttered amongst themselves anxiously, unsure of what to do. It wasn't an everyday occurrence for someone's toenail to be ripped off, and odds were they had no idea what to do. It looked serious with the amount of blood on the ground and the paper towels surrounding the two. Nick didn't blame them, honestly. "I'm really sorry for this."

"Whatever," she shrugged, "shit happens." She eyed his cart and smiled. "So, you got kids?"

Nick's eyed widened. "Oh, I-I… No…" He bit his thumb.

"Oh, I was going to assume you were with all the _Spongebob Mac & Cheese_ in your cart."

"No kids," he shook his head, "this is just dinner for the next couple nights."

"Bachelor pad, huh?" Her genuine smile turned into a mischievous smirk. "Just you and your bro's, huh?"

Nick didn't respond and pulled his hat down.

"Hey, I feel you," she said. "I'm from Savannah, but I've been living with my girlfriend's down here for the past couple years. All we eat anymore is instant ramen and energy drinks."

"Breakfast of champions," he smiled.

Molly laughed. "Yeah, but it's not like you can afford steak and shit when you're a college student on a budget. I just graduated from UGA, and I was all excited to eat an actual, decent meal, but now I'm stuck paying student loans. Fuck that."

"I only went to community college," Nick replied, "it's cheaper. What did you major in?"

"I've got a degree in nursing, but I'm thinking about being an EMT. It's more of my speed. What are you doing?"

He froze. "I… Uh… I'm a small business owner." Molly cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brows. Damn it, she didn't believe a word he said. "My roommate and I had a business together, but it fell apart."

 _Yeah, fell apart because of scamming old rednecks._

"Oh, that sucks."

"Yeah, but I'm thinking of maybe going into the police department."

It was a decision Nick pondered on for a while now but never brought it up to Luke… yet. Given the state of their relationship at the moment, Nick would have to wait a while and allow time for them both to calm down. He'd cross that bridge when he got to it. Luke was guaranteed not to react well and Pete would surely have a heart attack. His useless degree in automotive machinery and body work would never give him a well-paying job.

Besides, the more Nick thought about it, becoming a cop wouldn't be too bad. Sure, he wasn't the quickest or bravest guy in the world, but if he was working he might as well be helping people. When his dad was home, and the abuse was bad to the point the cops had to be called, they were always good to him growing up. The officers in his small town knew him by name and even brought him small candy. There were tons of kids like him somewhere- in worse conditions- whose visits from the police were the only positive interactions they had with other people.

 _If he could make one child's day just a bit brighter by showing he cared and understood what they were going through, then he was doing something right._

Molly hummed. "Looks like we're both in the business of helping people… Truthfully, I was going to just patch myself up, but I'm glad you're here."

He rubbed the back of his neck and felt some heat in his cheeks. The sounds of loud panting, squeaking, and the cheers of the crowd (which Nick had long forgotten was there) both get their attention as a lanky, graceless clerk slid into view, nearly knocking over a display. In his hands were the first aid kit.

"Hey!" the young man cried, running to them. "Sorry, it took me so long!" He paled at the wound and the nail on the floor. "Oh my God…"

"Can you hand me the bandage wraps?" Nick asked.

The worker gave a shaky nod. "Uh… Yeah…" He slowly opened the container and tossed the wraps over. "Woah, that looks… that looks not great. Do you need me to call an ambulance?"

"Don't bother," Nick and Molly nearly said in unison.

Ben, which was the name on his nametag, puts a hand over his mouth and looks away. If he watched any more, he probably would've fainted. The blonde rolled her eyes and smirked. "Make sure not to make the wrap too tight," she instructed as Nick began to bandage her foot. "You'll cut off the circulation and I need to wash this when I get home."

"I'll try not to," he nodded.

Her breath hitched when the wrapping touched the spot where her nail used to be. "I'm going to be high as fuck on painkillers for the next couple days."

"I don't blame you-"

"You gotta make this up to me, Nicky-Boy," she shut her eyes and bit her lip. "Don't think that you fixing me up means you're off the hook."

Nick frowned, beginning to get irritated. What else could she want? He already apologized; he even changed the wound for her! "What else do you want?" He snapped.

It came out a little harsher than he hoped because she was taken aback quite a bit. Molly huffed and scowled, "Wow, rude!" He immediately felt guilty when she responded with a murmur. "I was just going to ask if you would have breakfast with me…"

 _Oh, fuck! **Oh, he fucked up!**_ Nick mentally hit himself and groaned. Luke always was better at taking hints and winning girls over, not him. Most women didn't take an interest in him; he was just Luke's ugly friend. For the first time, this good looking girl notices him, is interested in him, and he fucks it up.

 _Nick, why are you such a fuck up!?_

"I-I'm so sorry!" He cried and tried to bite his thumb. Of course, he forgot his fingers were covered in blood, and soon he was spitting and gagging. Molly's brows raised- her mouth in an 'o' shape- and she froze. Ben quickly turned around to gawk again before seeing the toenail and gagging himself.

"Nick?"

"Oh, fuck! I didn't… Jesus Christ, I would love to go out with you- I mean- if you would still want to… I'm such an asshole, fucking hell!" He cursed under his breath at his sheer stupidity. There was no way she would ever go out with him. Why would she pick a guy like him after he was so rude to her?

She slowly stood up, brushed herself off, and softly smiled. Nick's heart seemed to stop. "Does Monday morning work? There's a _Starbucks_ not too far from here, my friend Sandra works there."

"I-I… I'd love to," he grinned, sighing in relief. "Yeah, that's awesome!"

"Great, I'll see you then!"

They exchanged numbers and Molly limped away; before she went out of view, though, she turned and waved at him. Nick meekly smiled and waved back. Hey, he may have gotten a shitty dinner, but he got _Ecto Cooler_ and a date! Best shopping trip ever! Luke was officially off grocery duty.

His phone buzzed. Speak of the devil, he just got a message from the man of the hour. Nick rolled his eyes. What could he want?

 _ **Casanova:** duck just got the shit slapped out of him on WorldStar lmao XD_

 _ **Vanilla Ice:** what? i mean i'm not surprised but seriously?_

 _ **Casanova** : yeah, here's the link!_

 _ **Casanova:** some girl in a baseball cap is just killing him out there its amazing!_

Nick's jaw dropped when the video played and the sounds of loud, hard slaps and cheers came out his speakers. Oh, shit he was. Damn, she was brutal.

He didn't know what the kid did to warrant it, but odds were he definitely deserved it.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Ah, Nick's grocery adventures are going down while Duck is getting his ass beat. Yes, Javier actually put it on WorldStar and perhaps Duck will be the universe's Shovel Girl or something... The aftermath of that will be next chapter.**_ ** _This chapter was originally going to have that, but it felt out of place with Molly and Nick's scenes, so I dedicated a whole, long-ass chapter to it._**

 ** _Nick is the smoothest motherfucker out there, damn._**


	11. The Glee Club

_I decided to move my Author's Note, or at least respond to reviews, up here. I feel like I haven't talked to you guys as much lately, and that's totally my fault. So, I'm going to respond to some of the reviews!_

 _ **7RedCards** : I always planned on putting Molly in! She's one of my favorite characters and I knew I just had to put her into this story. She appears earlier on in chapter 7 at the airport with Javier when he gives her sister, Hilda, her medicine back. She has a pretty big role as a side character in this story and I think you'll like where her arc goes. Also, her sister and parents (Tim and Helen) are a-okay and you'll see plenty of them soon._

 _ **Somebody:** Yep, Nick is so awkward. Given his behavior in Season 2, I'm thinking he's the total opposite of Luke when it comes to the ladies, but Molly must see something in him._

 _ **DizzyTerror:** Yay, I'm glad you're into Nick/Molly (Nolly?), too! I've kinda been shipping them since mid-Season 2, which was nearly three years ago, so now I guess I'm the captain of this ship. Both of them deserve a happy ending!_

 _Now, onto the chapter!_

* * *

There are two things you must know when you begin your time at Stone Mountain: one, share your locker with your friend! If you decide to keep on visiting your locker throughout the day, you'll never make it to class, and if you carry all your books you'll look like a freshman. Never look like a freshman. So, if you got a buddy near one of your classes, throw your books in their locker and vice versa. It's better than running to the other side of the building every period. Two, know the lore of the school.

There has been a lot of stuff happening over the years that have become inside jokes or larger than life stories, repeated more fictitiously every year for the new kids. There's never a dull moment at Stone Mountain. Like when Jordan Callaghan was caught smoking weed in Mr. Smith's class, or the time where Jessica Kelly and Brandon Geoffrey had sex in the bathroom of the teacher's lounge, or the time the chess club hired strippers after they won a tournament…

Yep, never a dull moment at Stone Mountain, and Duck loved every minute of it. It was his second year as a high school student- he was no longer a dreaded freshman- and this was going to be the best year yet! He didn't have to worry about fitting in, college, or any other stressful shit! Duck had his own group of friends, his buddy Gabe was going to be coming in as a freshman, he picked easy courses, and was having a blast playing varsity baseball. Life was great!

At least, that's what he thought. Then, Gabe had to go off and get himself drafted onto the team straight out of eighth grade.

Now, it wasn't Gabe's fault that Stone Mountain picked him up; Duck knew that. The younger boy graduated from middle school with a shit ton of scholarships from a dozen or so other high schools in the area- all of them for baseball. The kid was a natural. But, what made him so special wasn't his skills; though Gabe adamantly denied it, the probable reason why these schools wanted him was for his name only. Having the nephew of the most famous, beloved baseball player of the decade on their team, representing them, was a huge deal. Having said nephew be on their way to being just as talented as their uncle, winning them championship after championship? Even better!

Duck had remembered the controversy and complaints among some of the other guys when Gabe first joined them. Someone- especially an incoming freshman- being able to get onto the team without trying out had never happened before. They all had to work their asses off to get on, so Duck expected some flak. There were rumors that "Gabe couldn't actually play" and that "Javier pressured the administration to sign him up on the roster," which were laughable. Please, Duck had seen the kid play, and he was a natural. Gabe was one of the few players out there who could hit home run after home run without as so much breaking a sweat, sometimes scoring three in one game. Name one other person who can do that…

You can't!

Now, their team had always been good (they were the varsity team, duh!), and they won plenty of games before Gabe Garcia came along, but they were never really noticed. No one cared about the baseball championships except for maybe a select few, and the administration was certainly not one of them. Everyone mostly invested their time and energy into the football team. You didn't have cheerleaders dancing, mascots running around, and huge, over the top pep-rallies held whenever they got a trophy. No, it was always the football team that got the special treatment. Maybe other teams wanted to have Stoney the Mountain Lion hanging out with them…

That was the thing with Stone Mountain, if you weren't the football team, you weren't getting anything from the administration. You needed money to replace some bats? "Sorry," they'd begin, not even looking you in the eye as they all filed their paperwork, "but we're on a budget." Duck would've believed them if they weren't spending thousands upon thousands renovating the football field (basically a stadium at this point) and dutifully obeying to the team's every beck and call. Come on, it's so unfair they get a soda machine in their locker room! If the baseball team asked for one they would be laughed right out of the office.

The football players were treated as celebrities; everyone knew them by name, they dated the hottest cheerleaders and could do no wrong. So many nerds and freshman tried to kiss ass to get noticed by them- it was so sad. Oh well, Duck and his group may not have been popular, but he could sleep well knowing that he didn't prey on lower classmen girls and probably wasn't going to be an alcoholic before thirty like the star quarterback, Cameron Jones. That guy was a total asshole; he had this stupid fucking facade where he was this 'boy scout' who helped old ladies cross the street and worked at soup kitchens on Fridays. If you were on the other teams and crossed his path, you knew it was an act. The point guard on the basketball team, a senior named Jordan Carter, was raising hell last year with allegations that Cameron was pressuring his freshman sister to send him nudes. Now, Duck never really talked to Jordan much before he graduated, but Felix did. Either Jordan was really, really good at photoshop or Cameron was creeping. Given his several unfortunate encounters with Cameron and the other girls who had the same experience, Duck believed the latter.

Though he had evidence, and there was plenty of it, the administration brushed it under the rug. That's what always happens with schools- pretend it never happened, hope to God this shit never leaks, and then act surprised when the news eventually comes out and the scandal is worse than it would be if they had solved the problem in the first place. Oh well, they got to win that football championship and jerk each other off for being the best in the state again. Please, give him a break! The other Stone Mountain by the end of the city- the one with the pirates- probably didn't tolerate this!

Cameron Jones was untouchable. The guy could burn down an orphanage in front of their faces and the administration would pin the blame on someone else. It must be nice dating Jaime Johnson, the hottest girl in school. Truthfully, Duck could have cared less about Jaime; she was pretty, yeah, but so are a bunch of other girls in the school. So many of his teammates got so weird about her- they'd drop whatever they were doing if she so much looked in their direction. Duck never really cared about dating anyone, though. Still, the day Jaime Johnson noticed them would be the day pigs fly.

Well, the pigs never flew, but they were finally noticed. You could thank Gabe for that. Poor bastard; he hated the spotlight. He'd freeze up if anyone was giving him attention- even his parents made him stammer and sputter with a "good job, son!" Imagine how he reacted with over two hundred pairs of eyes staring down at him, watching his every move at the first baseball game of the season.

Yeah, it didn't go very well.

It wasn't as bad as, say, Joey asking Jaime out, but it was pretty bad. The reporters for the school and local papers were there, snapping pictures and itching for the game to end just so they could get their juicy interview. Gabe tried to ignore them, hoping they would move onto one of his teammates, but who wants to hear from Duck? Who wants to hear from Felix and how he failed his final? Those guys don't matter! Whether Gabe liked it or not, he was the leading actor in this production. Everyone else just had supporting roles. Only five minutes into the game and Gabe was already beginning to sweat as their cameras flashed loudly behind him. The spectators lost their minds when he walked out onto the field and waved timidly. Christine Bremer, the hottest girl in the sophomore class, was swooning. Normally she was drooling over one of the clowns on the football team. It hit Duck at that moment while sitting in the dugout, that nothing was ever going to be the same.

There would be no more small hang-outs at each other's houses, or going out to the ice-cream parlor together, or even having a team so close anymore. They were family. Most of them had known each other since grade school; these assholes were Duck's first friends after moving up from Fort Lauderdale when he was ten. Now… Now, they were on their way to becoming the football team- groupies, attention, and praise would become just a part of life. More kids would be inspired, want to be around Gabe, or get close to his uncle, and join the team. The tight-knit family would be pushed aside by the newer, younger faces, the passion for the sport would be lost, and the team would be a husk of what it once was.

Once a sophomore like Christine, who would normally never date anyone younger than sixteen and older than twenty-five, drools over an incoming freshman, it's over. You can't go back. Seeing Cameron Jones' face darken- his mocking grin vanish- as he held an oblivious, cheering Jaime tighter scared all of the other boys shitless. The varsity baseball team was now the football team's biggest rivals in just a span of a few hours, whether they were ready or not.

The best case scenario would be that Gabe lost. As horrible as it sounded (because who wants a friend to fail?), if he made a fool of himself, the interest in him would die, and the team would be able to go on with their lives. Hey, he'd even be left alone, though suffer some humiliation. It even seemed it was going that way for a while, so for a second, they all sighed in relief.

But, no, Gabe had to save it with a home run and hit it right out of the park.

Goddamn it, Gabe.

He wasn't even excited about hitting it. His shoulders were slumped and his head was down as he walked to the bases before coming back to the dugout. The crowd thought he was being sarcastic and pulling their legs like good ol' uncle Javi because they lost their minds. Like, full out standing ovation. Mr. Wilson, their principal, came out on the field and gave a speech, declaring that this was a "new era for Stone Mountain."

Funny, if Gabe was not related to anyone special, would they even be there to watch the game? Probably not.

Christine Bremer didn't waste any time introducing herself to the younger boy; she gave him her phone number, went on and on about how impressed she was, and then they made out. Yeah, it escalated pretty quickly. Thankfully, Duckie was there to control the situation before things got too crazy. Let's not be exactly like uncle Javi, okay? Their romance was destined to be tragic- anyone with a half a brain could see what was happening- except for poor, naive Gabe. Christine was one of those girls who usually dated guys to gain something. Now, Duck wasn't bashing in any way; manipulating idiots to get what you want probably makes you crazy smart! God, he would not want to fuck with her. But, Gabe was one of those idiots, and it was pretty sad to watch his friend be played like a damn fiddle. She was so desperate to meet uncle Javi that it wasn't funny. On one of their few dates, when Gabe took her to their usual hang out at the mall, Duck counted every time she brought up Javier. Literally, every conversation she started, and everything she said, was all about the MLB player.

He thought that he was crazy-making stuff up- until Sarah commented on it. She's always able to notice the littlest, seemingly insignificant things. Becca was too busy trying not to murder Gabe to care. It got real old, real quick seeing the couple display their... affections for one another pretty publicly. For that single week, all of Gabe's post on Twitter and Instagram were just pictures of the two and long rants about how much he adored her. She did the same to play along. Duck was ready to block them both after Christine posted that stupid fucking picture of Beauty and the Beast captioned "every beauty needs her beast" and tagged him in it. Talk about gag-inducing!

It made the inevitable breakup so much worse (and hilarious). He was so in love with her and he just couldn't comprehend how this could happen. Dude, all the signs were there; you can't blame anyone but yourself for being too stupid not to notice. They all warned him, too. Gabe nearly decked Harry for telling the truth. Becca had a field day playing that Kanye West song on the drive to the mall. "Wow!" She said sarcastically, a shit-eating grin on her face as she turned up the volume on the radio, "you really are just like your uncle!"

Though they were only dating for a week (maybe not even), it hit Gabe hard. Really, really hard. Like calling one of them in the middle of the night while sobbing in his bathtub hard. Now, Duck had felt bad at first- it was the kid's first girlfriend, and he wasn't sadistic like Becca, but there's a point where you draw the line. You gotta draw that line in the sand and say "enough." You can't keep tolerating being woken up at two in the morning to hear your friend break down because his ex posted a picture with her new, older, more attractive boyfriend. Sometimes, the best love is tough love. He drew that line when Gabe started crying in the mall because he passed by Victoria's Secrets, and apparently, that was Christine's favorite store. Hey, that place may remind you of your ex, but you're giving people passing by the wrong vibe. They didn't need to be put on a list, thank you.

The whole team was worried that it was going to affect Gabe out on the field. If the guy's up at in the early hours of the morning stalking this chick's Instagram, odds are he's not sleeping, and if he's not sleeping his head's not in the game, and if his head's not in the game… Well, then they're all fucked. They couldn't brush this off by saying that Gabe sucked all along and let the hype die because Stone Mountain knew that he was good. They were too invested now to just give up, and the student body would think of them as jokes. It was just like the glee club all over again!

God, it would be the end of the team if they became like the glee club!

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that's where Clementine came in. If Gabe needed another girlfriend to play well, Duck was willing to scour the ends of the earth to find him one. All of the guys were. It was easy to find a girl- they just needed to find one that could be able to stomach Gabe for more than five minutes. Now, that was the hard part. Duck, at this point, hadn't seen Clementine in years when he stumbled upon a tagged picture of her on Instagram. When he was new in the neighborhood, the little nine-year-old had been the first one to introduce herself and offer him a chance to swim in her big pool. While she seemed sweet, Clementine became a mischievous, little hell-raiser when the adults were no longer paying attention. The last time they interacted was five years ago when she had put a bug on his pillow after his family invited her to the cabin to fish. Oh, she was definitely perfect for Gabe- they were two birds of a feather. Assholes got to stick together.

He didn't tell her about the plan because no way would she have gone, but everything was going great. After a day talking to her, Gabe would be like "who's Christine?" Clementine was way better looking than her!

Sometimes, things fall apart. One minute, there isn't a cloud in the sky, and then all of a sudden there's a hurricane heading your way. Gabe still played fine, thankfully. All was well in the world until the freshman had to open his stupid fucking mouth and reveal the whole plan.

But, it's fine. Duck knew that in the end, he was a selfless hero simply doing the best for his team. He would take the L for those assholes. The left side of his face was raw from having the ever-loving shit slapped out of him, but it was for the greater good.

Jesus died on the cross to save everybody and Duck got beat up by a small, petite teenage girl and humiliated on WorldStar to save his team. Beat that, Kanye!

* * *

"So, what flavor of ice cream do you like, Clem?"

"Oh, could I get a water ice, please? Cherry?"

"Of course, sweetheart! Here, I'm going to order- you kids find a place to sit, okay?"

They were in a local ice cream parlor. The Garcia's would meet with them in a little bit; Javier's girlfriend was holding them up. Apparently, she has to have a three-hour power nap or else she's miserable for the rest of the night. So, they were all stuck outside their van waiting for her to wake up. Models are weird. It left Duck alone with Clementine, and while he was mad as hell at Gabe, he'd rather not be stuck alone with her.

He thought Becca was scary when she got mad, but Clem was something else. She could, and probably would murder a man. Yo, Javi's girlfriend better wake up soon, or he's a goner!

As soon as Kenny walks away, Clementine's smile drops into a scowl. Her piercing, light amber eyes stare into Duck's soul. The teenage boy lets out an uneasy laugh before motioning her to a table in the corner of the room.

"You're still mad, I see," he begins as Clementine plops down on a chair. Her eyes never leave him. "Well, I really am sorry..."

The girl tapped on the table and Duck gulped when her eyes narrowed. "I hate liars."

"Look, I know it wasn't cool to do that to you," he put his hands up, "and I'm sorry-"

"There's a but," she replied.

Damn, she was good.

"Yeah," Duck sighed, running a hand through his hair, "there's a but. There's always one, isn't there?" His attempt to make her smile fails. "Trust me, I didn't want to do it-"

"Jesus, get on it with it."

"Alright, alright, jeez! No need to bite my head off! You see, I was going to tell you what happened before you decided to slap box me." Okay, he needed to stop himself because at this rate they were going to reenact Rock'em Sock'em Robots again. "The baseball team is kind of in a rough spot right now."

"I don't understand, you guys were playing fine today."

Duck waved her off. "It's not about playing well… Actually, yeah it kinda is, but there's more to it."

"So, you didn't just bring me to help you win a stupid trophy?" Her brows furrowed.

"No, Clem, the reason I brought you here was because I thought you could save our team," Duck began in a hushed tone and leaned forward. This was a conversation only they needed to hear. "We are a train about to go off the rails- it's already happening- and it's not going to be pretty when we crash."

Clementine's anger is turning into curiosity as she cocks her head to the side. That's good! Not wanting to murder him is great! She bites her lip and glanced around the room. "Are you guys, like, in trouble or something?"

"Huge trouble."

"Like, people are going to get arrested or die trouble?"

"Well, I mean, our team and social lives could die," Duck said.

"This is about Gabe, isn't it?"

He nodded. "If anything, it's about Javier. Gabe's just as much of a victim here as the rest of us… We weren't really noticed by Stone Mountain before Gabe joined. Yeah, we had our pep-rallies here and there, but no one really cared about us-"

"Until they had the nephew of an MLB player on their team…"

"Exactly!" Duck cried, "that's exactly it!"

"How is that a bad thing, though?" Clementine asked, now playing with the menu on the table. The blue, laminated paper reflects the LED lights on the ceiling right into his eye. "Don't you guys, like, want to get noticed?"

"Not really, no," he replied. Sports movies may have had this grand idea that every team wants to win the gold, make it big, and beat the football team, but that's not real life. "I like being irrelevant, thank you." Duck sighed. "The school's invested in us, the student body is watching every little thing we do, and if we fuck up it's over. We'll become the new glee club!"

"The glee club?"

Ah, the glee club. They were a small, modest club made up of about twenty people who sang Broadway songs after school. Mostly consisting of theater nerds, they didn't bother anyone and no one bothered them; they were in their own bubble. That all changed though when that TV show came out a couple years ago. You know, the one about the high school kids with more drama than the Kardashians singing shitty covers of shitty pop songs? Duck was never into it- he was too young when it was at it's prime- but the students were.

Apparently, people are really, really into mashups of Katy Perry and Nirvana. Becca and Sarah were freshmen when it was huge, and the latter had joined the club. Everyone and their mother was signing up for it. The administration saw the dollar signs and pushed it everywhere. There wasn't a day where they weren't announcing merchandise or concerts. The original theater nerds, the tight-knit family that built it from the ground up, were pushed out. By the end of 2012, the original twenty students were now two hundred and thirty wannabe idols, cheerleaders, jocks trying to get in their pants, and weird kids. According to Sarah, they didn't even sing; they just argued over what songs to do.

It was a miracle they lasted as long as they did, but all good (terrible) things have to come to an end. Eventually, the show died, thankfully, and they all had moved on to grander, more organized clubs. Singing and dancing out your feelings was so five years ago! Werewolves, murders, and haunted hotels were all the rage today! Seeing that no one gave a shit about the club anymore and that the theater nerds refused to go back, Stone Mountain pulled the funds. On August 26th, 2016, the glee club was officially defunct and no one gave a fuck. Everyone was sick of the club after constantly having it shoved in their faces for four years.

Clementine's nose crinkled, her eyes narrowed. "I don't understand how you could wind up like them," she replied. "You guys don't sing-"

"No," he face-palmed, "no, it's not about that. It's about the investment the school put into it. All these random guys are trying to get on the team, the administration is breathing down our necks, and if we fuck this up we're going to lose all of that!"

"But isn't that what you want? You're confusing me."

"We want it, but if we lose the administration decides to pull our funds we're done. That's it- the end of varsity baseball as we know it."

"They wouldn't disband the team," Clementine said.

"Oh, really? The wrestling team thought the same thing!"

Kenny comes over with their ice-cream and puts it down on the table before going back to Katjaa. "Thank you," the girl calls out before beginning to eat. "Who cares about wrestling?" She asked in between spoonfuls of her water ice. "Baseball is, like, America's pastime."

"Trust me, they'll pull the funding if we're phased out. These new guys are signing up just to say they played with Javier Garcia's nephew and try to kiss his ass. Once the interest dies, they'll join some other club, and there will be no one left who cares," Duck replied.

Clementine licked her now red stained lips and rolled her eyes. "You know, if you had just been honest and told me all of this before, I would've been okay with it, dumb ass. I thought you were just trying to hook us up because you were being gross." She frowned. "I'm sorry for slapping you… I got aggro, and that wasn't cool."

"It's fine, I guess. I mean, your hand is probably permanently branded on my face, but it's fine." Was he passive-aggressive enough? "I'm on WorldStar now, so I guess that's cool."

"What's WorldStar?" The younger girl brow's furrowed as she took another bite of her water ice.

"Ah, geez… It's…"

The door to the parlor opens- the shopkeeper's bell echoes throughout the store- and the Garcia's walk in. Mariana's happily rambling what she wants to her father, who looks like he's ready to commit murder, at a rapid-fire pace. Kate's constantly glancing over at Javier with a hint of jealousy as he publicly displays his affection to his girlfriend. Oh boy, if David didn't notice this he was either stupid, ignoring it, or maybe a little bit of both. Then there was Gabe, strutting in like the most confident, cocky motherfucker in the world, before sitting down beside Duck.

"Hey," he said as Duck let out a groan, "you got something on your cheek there."

"Fuck you."

Gabe gasped and put a hand to his chest. "Wow, rude much?"

Clementine rolled her eyes and shoved more water ice in her mouth. To be quite honest, she had forgotten how good it tasted. It had been four- close to five- years since she ate one. When she went down the shore or to Savannah, her parents would buy her a cup of it all the time. It didn't mean much to her then, but, well, you always appreciate the little things when they're gone.

The stool beside her squeaks and she turned to see Mariana grinning at her. The ten-year-old is holding her own ice cream, a mix of chocolate and vanilla, in a waffle bowl. "Hey, Clementine!"

"Hi, Mariana," Clementine greeted her with a smile. "How're you doing?"

"Better now that I have my ice cream." Mariana leaned forward slightly and examined the other's hat. "Wow, it looks pretty good… Your hat, I mean. Though, your water ice looks pretty good, too."

She took off her hat; the large, obnoxious autograph was barely visible. "Yeah, you did a good job getting it out," Clementine replied. "Thanks again."

Duck and Gabe are still ignoring each other. Clementine can't help but be slightly concerned as the two boys both eat their ice cream, arms crossed, and refuse to even make eye contact. Jesus, when the world had ended, tensions like this could tear a group apart. She had seen it happen personally. Mariana notices her uneasiness; a reassuring smile grows on her face as she nudges her shoulder. "Hey," she began, "they get like this all the time. Trust me, in five minutes all will be well again. Guys are weird like that… They don't hold grudges."

Sure enough, not even a minute later, Gabe turns to the other. "You up for a game of Overwatch tonight?"

Duck hesitates for a moment, making an almost inhuman groan, before sighing. "Yeah, sure, why not. It depends on what time we get back, though."

"Dude, you'll be up anyway, come on."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right… Is Becca playing?"

"I think so," Gabe pulled out his phone. "I'm going to text her and see if she wants in."

Clementine didn't know what Overwatch was, but she didn't really care. She was absolutely fascinated how they could hate each other one minute but then be friends again the next. You couldn't afford to be that forgiving before… She couldn't afford it. Teenage boys, though, were truly fickle creatures.

It was almost as if the events of the last few hours never happened. Duck and Gabe were happily chatting away about their 'mains'- whatever that meant- like Tracer, Diva, and Soldier 76. From what she could gather, the two played with a bunch of other people nearly every night. Clementine didn't play a lot of video games; when she was younger she loved this series called Kingdom Hearts, but she hadn't touched her old PS2 in forever. All this video game talk was foreign to her.

"Hey, my dad talked to Pete and he said you can come down to the cabin next Friday," Duck said while munching on his cone. "Make sure you bring some games with you."

"Should I bring, like, a rod or something?"

Duck shook his head. "Nah," he replied, "Pete's got you covered. He's got some of Nick's old stuff in the shed."

Pete? Nick? The names are eerily familiar, and Clementine's ears perk up, but she brushes it off as simply a coincidence. There were tons of people named Nick and Pete… No way could it be the same ones she knew.

Then again, she hadn't of expected to encounter the Garcia's, Jane, Troy, and Kenny either.

"Is Luke coming?"

Wait, nope, this was definitely her old group. Holy shit. This was getting creepy…

Duck cringed. "Listen, about Luke," he put a hand on Gabe's shoulder. "I'll tell you in the chat tonight, but you're not going to be a happy camper."

"What? Oh God, did he finally die from liver failure?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "No, no, unfortunately," Clementine could hear him mutter the last word under his breath.

"Hey, kids," she nearly jumps out of her seat when she hears David's voice come out of nowhere. Clementine whips her head around to see him towering behind her. "Finish up. We're leaving in five minutes."

Gabe nodded. "What's the game plan?"

"I don't know. Kenny's talking about going to the pharmacy-" Thank you, Kenny, Clementine thought. "Kate wants to hit the bookstore, and your uncle and Jess really, really want to go to that baby boutique." The older man glances around the room before putting a hand near his mouth and whispering with a grin. "I think you guys are going to have a baby cousin."

Gabe and Mariana's jaws nearly hit the floor. The little girl squealed and did a happy jig in her seat while Gabe was in shock. Clementine stared at Duck, who was frozen, still in mid-bite of his cone. Perhaps, the Javier she knew during her time in the New Frontier would have made a good father, but this douchebag? No way, that poor baby didn't have a chance with Javi and his air-headed girlfriend as their parents.

Tragic.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _It's weird watching teenage boys argue. One minute they hate each other and then the next everything is fine again. Gabe and Duck are presumably no different. They also totally play Overwatch._

 _So far, we've had two casualties so far in this series._

 _\- The Glee Club: Everyone in my school joined that club when Glee was at it's peak. I remember the show being okay, like, it wasn't great but not horrible, but I can't see Duck being a fan of it. Jaime and Sarah, though? Yeah, they probably were super into it before other shows like Teen Wolf and Pretty Little Liars came out. Poor Jane probably had High School Musical and all those other songs stuck in her head for years afterwards. Clementine doesn't even know what any of the shows mentioned are except for High School Musical... God, that's so sad._

 _\- Duck's pride_

 _RIP._

 _Is there going to be a mini Javier roaming about? Dear God I hope not... You guys will just have to find out next time._


	12. The Pharmacy

" _You brought an infected boy here!"_

" _He's not bit!"_

" _Oh, really? Look at him, he's covered in walker blood! I'm sure there's a bite hidden under all that shit!"_

" _Dad, calm down, please."_

" _I say we throw the boy out… or bash his head in."_

" _Kenny, stop him!"_

 _Clementine glanced around the room, her light amber eyes wide in fear as the adults began to yell. Her group had decided to stop at Macon- Lee told them it was safe- but the whole town was worse off than her neighborhood. There were walkers everywhere. The only reason why they were still alive right now was because of a pretty lady with a good shot. Without her, they would have been trapped and Duck would be digesting in some walker's gut. She led them all to the drugstore she and her group were staying at; their welcome didn't last long, in fact, there wasn't any at all, and the group was met with curses and shouts._

 _She had never seen adults talk to each other like that before. She had never heard swears like the ones being thrown before. Whenever people started cursing in the movies, her parents would change the channel. Her anxiety grew as an older man began to get right up into Lee and Kenny's face, his fists tightly clenched and ready to start swinging._

 _But, that wasn't the only thing that was growing. The pressure in her bladder was becoming unbearable. All of a sudden, Clementine really, really had to pee._

 _She held onto Lee's hand and tugged gently. "Lee," she began, "Lee."_

" _What?" he asked, well, snapped, but his anger wasn't directed towards her._

" _I have to go pee."_

" _Can you hold it in?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Clementine, I'm kind of busy here."_

" _I-I don't think so."_

 _He groaned. "The bathroom's over by the water fountain."_

 _Slowly, Clementine crept over to the bathroom, ignoring the argument behind her. Her bladder was ready to burst! How embarrassing would it be to pee her pants in front of Duck? Though, to be fair, he probably didn't care at the moment. He had far more important things to worry about, like, not having his skull smashed by an angry old man._

" _Everyone needs to calm down," she overheard Katjaa plead. "You're upsetting him."_

" _Upsetting him?" The nasty old man guffawed. "Upsetting him? You're all going to be upset when he rips your goddamn throat out."_

" _He's not bit! I'm cleaning him off and I don't see anything!"_

" _That's because it's hidden. Maybe they got him under his shirt… through his jeans… Either way, he's going to turn and I'm ending this. Now."_

" _No you're fucking not!" Kenny cries. "Nobody threatens my boy."_

" _You're going to fucking take me on, hillbilly?" the old man growled. "I'd like to see you try. Hey, little boy, before you eat your daddy, you can watch me break his nose."_

 _Lee pushes him back. "Sit down now, you old fuck!"_

" _Or what? Are you and your little homo, butt-buddy here going to kick my ass?"_

" _Yeah, we are!" Kenny hissed._

" _Everyone needs to chill the fuck out!" The woman who saved them stepped forward._

 _Clementine reached over to the doorknob. It jiggled. Great, it was locked. She turned around, hesitating a bit. She didn't want to make the grownups mad… well, they already were, but she didn't need them angry at her. What if Lee got yelled at by the old man because of her? Still, she really, really had to go…_

" _Lee!" she cried. "Lee!"_

" _What, Clem?"_

 _She pointed at the door. "It's locked!"_

" _There's a key behind the counter," he paused. "Probably."_

 _She sighed and ran over behind the counter. Lee was right- the key laid on the floor in a puddle of blood. Clementine cringed. There was a large, long trail leading to the door labeled "Employees Only." She didn't know what happened, and she didn't want to. Slowly, she picked up the key, holding the edge that wasn't stained, and made her way back to the bathroom._

" _Dad, don't let him get me!"_

" _He ain't touching a hair on your head, son. Not while I'm alive!"_

" _Don't you people fucking get it? First, he'll turn and bite the hillbilly and his mail-order bride's necks-"_

" _Dad, stop!"_

" _You got a lot of nerve talking to my wife like that!"_

" _Then, he's going to bite your little girl's neck. We'll have three of those things around and we'll be fucked!"_

" _That's not going to happen!" she can hear Lee cry._

 _Clementine jammed the key into the hole and struggled to unlock it. She had never been good at unlocking things; her dad always had to help her. However, this felt different than her just having butter fingers. There seemed to be pressure on the door- as if something, or someone, was leaning on it. The whole store was abandoned, though. Perhaps, one of the members of this new group were inside, but usually, stores such as these have stalls…_

" _Hello?" she asked after turning the lock. "Is anyone in there?"_

 _There was silence._

" _O-Okay, I'm going to open the door. Please, don't be mad at me-"_

 _She didn't need to open the door. It flew open by itself. Clementine's brows furrowed for a second before she heard a nearly inhuman groan. There was barely any time to react- the walker collapsed, tripping over its own feet, and immediately grabbed onto her tiny ankle. She screeched._

 _The adults grow quiet, just as shocked as she is, but only Lee and the lady with the gun attempt to rush to her aide. "Clementine!" Lee calls nearly panicked, shoving the old man's daughter out of the way. His injured leg fails him and he falls to the ground with a thud. "Clementine!" he calls out to her again as he quickly gets back on his feet._

 _She tried to run away, but the heavy, bloated corpse acted as an anchor. Clementine stomped on its head, or tried to- no way was she strong enough to make a dent. If anything, it just seemed to piss off the walker even more. The decaying body hissed with every kick and reached out to grab her other leg._

 _Finally, Lee limped over, pushed her out of the way, and yanked the walker upright. "You don't touch her, you sonuvabitch!" he roared. Clementine fled around the aisle and watched Lee and the undead wrestle on the floor. For a good minute, Lee had the leverage, but unlike those who are alive, walkers don't tire out. It became soon apparent that Lee's strength was fading. He grunted as the lurker leaned forward and chomped on the air, waiting for just the right moment his prey would be vulnerable. Clementine covered her mouth and turned away to avoid the inevitable…_

 _Bang!_

 _Smoke is still coming from the lady's gun, and she seems a little shaken, but the walker fell into a crumbled heap. Dark, almost black blood, began to seep out of its skull and onto the floor- Lee stepped over the quickly growing puddle somewhat dazed, but unharmed._

 _Clementine peered out and whimpered. "Lee?"_

 _The older man rushed over to her. "Clementine," he began, checking her for any wounds. "Clementine, are you alright?"_

" _I-I think so." She rubbed her arm. "I thought I was going to die…"_

" _Hey, hey," Lee smiled and tipped her hat. "As long as I'm here, nothing's going to happen to you."_

" _You promise?"_

" _I promise."_

 _Clementine grinned before looking down at the floor. "Uh… I-I don't have to go to the bathroom anymore."_

" _Oh Dear God…"_

* * *

Clementine stared at her reflection in the mirror. This didn't feel real. None of this felt real. She still felt like she was dreaming. Everything about this felt like a dream, but no matter what happened, she would never wake up. It never ended. Never in her life did she think that she would be back here again- back to where it all started.

She was standing in the bathroom of the Everett Pharmacy.

She had never been inside it before; her attempt to do so ended in disaster and she avoided it like the plague during her brief time in the store. It was pretty damn cute. Bathrooms aren't supposed to be cute, but this was a breath of fresh air after some of the ones she had seen… literally. Unlike most of the chain convenience stores like WaWa and Piggly Wiggly, there was a bit of a personal touch, even in the restrooms. There were tiny decorative soaps on the counter in the shapes of sea turtles, shells, and fish- there was not a hint of any graffiti in the stalls and the toilets were, surprisingly nearly spotless.

If only the ones she had been in before were this clean.

Right beside the mirror was a typed up notice in comic sans that said: "All employees please wash your hands, thank you." It must have been written up by Lee's parents because there was no way anyone younger than forty would unironically use comic sans. The little smiley face at the end made Clementine smile. They seemed like a nice group of people; they had to be if they raised Lee.

She didn't know how long she had been there, she had gotten lost in her daydream, but it was time to get back to the others. Duck lacked in patience and the last thing she needed was him barging in. This was a unisex bathroom, though, given Duck's brashness and overall stupidity, it wouldn't shock her in the slightest if he ran into the women's bathroom to get her. Hell, he probably accidentally stumbled into the wrong restroom at least once- or multiple- times in his life.

His body had grown but inside was the same goofy ten-year-old.

Clementine took a breath and opened the bathroom door. She had never gotten a good look at the pharmacy before rushing to the restroom. God, she could barely recognize the place. The once knocked over, messy aisles were perfectly stacked and orderly; the floors were almost sparkling, a contrast from the blood stained tile from before. Katjaa was examining some of the postcards on a rack by the front door. Lee had given her one with Atlanta on it before they left, but she had lost it when Carver took her backpack. Maybe, she could find it again. Kenny was getting himself something from the snack bar, David was tapping the counter, annoyed and waiting to leave, and Kate was ogling Javier. The baseball player and his model girlfriend were over by the pet section and snatching boxes upon boxes of doggy diapers. Mariana stood behind them looking slightly concerned.

Duck, sitting in the exact same stool he sat in all those years ago, stood up and waved her over. "Yo, Clem!" he called in between sips of his water. "Hey, I thought you, like, fell in or something. You alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "This is all just overwhelming, I guess."

He paused. "Oh, yeah, I get it! I'm a little overwhelmed myself right now, too. Maybe that's just from all the sugar I've had, though. I feel like my heart is, like, in my ears."

"Please don't tell me you're drinking more sugar-"

"It's Kool-Aid powder, yo!" He leaned back and let out a mighty, long roar. "Oh, yeah!"

"You're going to be in a diabetic coma."

"Clem, dude," he took another sip, "I'm here for a good time; not a long one."

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Gabe. The other boy was inspecting the shaving products, staring at the numerous razors on display intently. He stroked his chin.

Duck groaned. "Yo, dude! You don't have any facial hair, stop it!" He laughed when Gabe gave them both a death stare. "Hey, I'm speaking the truth and you damn well know it."

"I felt some stubble this morning," Gabe replied as he walked over.

"That's probably just your acne, dude." Duck patted his shoulder. "Sorry, bro."

Gabe pushed his hand away. "No, it's definitely coming in. I mean, you see some of the beards the freshman have? They're like grown ass men!"

"That's because they probably are grown ass men."

"Well, whatever they are, I want what they're taking."

Clementine awkwardly coughed into her fist. "So," she began, changing the subject, "you're going to have a cousin, huh? That's pretty exciting-"

"Oh, you missed it," Duck snickered. "David was, like, questioning them about it, and they're not expecting at all! Jess' dog is, though!" He points to David and snickers. "That's why he's so butthurt."

"She treats that thing like it's her baby," Gabe said. "She told Dad that she was going to be a grandmother."

"That's really, really weird," Clementine cringed.

"All the girls in Hollywood do that, you know? They dress their dogs up in weird ass tutus and shit, shove them in their purse, and make them their children… their dog-children."

"Thanks, Duck, for that wonderful explanation," she replied while Duck grinned with pride. "Maybe it's best that they're not reproducing."

Gabe shoved his hands in his pocket. "Uncle Javi and Jess told my dad they prefer dogs over children. They don't grow up to be disappointments."

"Well, I mean, they're probably scared their child could be like you." Duck cackled and Gabe slapped him across the shoulder, fighting a smile himself.

"Says you, asshole."

"Hey, at least I don't wear a beanie in August!"

"Lots of people wear beanies during the summer."

"Yeah, in Alaska!"

Clementine sighed. "We get it, you're both awful children, now can we move on?" she asked. The two boys stop their banter and blink at her. "I want to look around this place-"

"Dude, it's just a pharmacy. It's got the same layout as any other pharmacy."

"I know that!" she snapped. "I'm just looking for someone. My friend's family owns this place."

Duck's eyes narrow and Clementine can hear the Jeopardy music playing in his head- it takes a minute, but then the lightbulb comes on. His eyes light up. "Oh!" he began while the hamster wheel in Gabe's brain still ran. "Oh, I get it! That's why you wanted to come here!"

 _Duh!_

"What's his name?" Duck stood up and glanced around the store. "Who is he? He can't be that old guy right there…"

Sitting in an old rocking chair behind the counter was an elderly man wearing a plaid sports shirt and khakis. He was staring right at Duck while tightly holding onto his cane. The two made eye contact for a good thirty seconds until the teenage boy slowly backed up- the old man slowly pushed up his glasses, but his gaze never left him. That could only be Mr. Everett. Oh my God, Clementine actually was seeing Mr. Everett with her own two eyes!

"Yo, what the fuck," Duck whispered. "Why's he staring at me like that?"

"He knows you're a dumb ass," Gabe retorted.

Duck scowled. "No, look at him!" He pointed to the cane and shuddered. "He's got it in a death grip. What's he going to do?"

"Beat morons like you with it," Clementine giggled. She remembered the stories Lee would tell about shoplifters who would get a whack.

"Hardy, hardy, har," Duck rolled his eyes.

By this point, everyone is done shopping. Jess and Javier can barely hold the amount of doggy diapers and supplies they have, Katjaa picked out a nice card, and Kenny's finished his food. Mr. Everett's brows furrow when the young couple throws the diapers down. "What's all this for?" he asked, motioning to everything on the counter.

"We're expecting puppies soon," Jess grins. "I want to prevent any accidents with my babies!"

He stared at them and deeply exhaled. "Ah, I see, congratulations."

"Thank you!"

Mr. Everett says nothing, but bangs his cane against the door leading to the staff's room. "Bud!" he cried. "Bud, get your ass out here! We got customers!"

Clementine had only seen the photo of Lee's brother, so seeing him in person was jarring. For a moment, she thought he was her former guardian. The two men looked like they could pass as twins, especially with the beard Bud was growing, but the blue pharmacist uniform made it obvious who this was. Besides, Bud looked to be in his early thirties at the most while Lee had to be over forty now.

Bud rubbed the back of his neck. "Jesus, calm down, old man," he muttered before turning his attention to them. "Hi, how are y'all doing?"

"Nice place you got here," Kenny says.

"Thanks, this is all family owned-"

"Forty years running and damn proud of it!" Mr. Everett cried. "My wife and I built this place from the ground up!"

Kenny tipped his hat. "I can tell."

"Damn right!" Mr. Everett grinned.

Bud smirks as he checks everything out. "Where are you guys from?"

"Atlanta."

"Atlanta? My brother doesn't live too far from there-"

"He's a history professor!" Mr. Everett interjects.

"Yes, thank you, dad," Bud continues. "He teaches up at UGA, but he and his wife moved to the city for her job. She's got a nice gig going for her over on Channel 2."

A reporter? Lee was married to a reporter? Her breath hitches. No… no, it couldn't be- could it? It could just be a coincidence, right? Back at the Motor Inn, Lee and Carley's attraction for one another was undeniable, but there was no way they would be together. At least Clementine had the peace of mind to know he didn't murder anyone, but this would eat at her.

Mr. Everett adjusts in his seat. "She's a real nice girl- gorgeous, too. I like her more than the last wife-"

"Dad!" Bud moaned, rubbing his temples.

"Oh, show them the picture of us at your mother's birthday party, Bud!"

"Dad, they probably want to leave-"

"Show them the damn pictures!"

This got a chuckle out of some of the others but Clementine's fists were clenched so tightly they were white. Mariana was about to ask if she was alright when the pharmacist pulled out his phone and went through his photos. Clementine shoved them all out of the way to see.

Mr. and Mrs. Everett sat at a table with Bud beside them, there was a chocolate cake in the center covered in candles, but that wasn't what she was focused on. As delicious as the cake appeared, she was more focused on the couple sitting beside them. The man had a few gray hairs and looked a little bit older than she remembered, but that was Lee. Lee was okay- he was happy, seemingly healthy, and alive. And the beautiful woman wrapped around his shoulders lovingly? Her jaw dropped.

 _It was Carley._

* * *

 _ **A/N: The search for Lee continues and the Macon Arc ends! Now, Clem has a way to see Sarah again and become one of the Breakfast Club Members before school starts. I know a lot of people have been asking for Lee, so here he is in a flashback and an update on him! I think most people would assume he would be with Carley, but damn do I ship them. He is graying, he is not old fart like Kenny... teaching college students just is getting to him.**_ _ **At least Clementine knows he's in Atlanta.**_

 _ **I've just remembered all the shit Duck has eaten over the past couple chapters and how is he still alive? He should be in a diabetic coma.**_

 _ **Also, Javier and Jess are not expecting. God, can you imagine them with kids? Hell, no. Other people will be though...**_


	13. Stood Up

Nick hadn't been on a date in years. Jesus, the last time he even managed to have a steady girlfriend was nearly ten years ago. Luke and his ex Beatrice were adamant on joining them out a lot- making it a double date, you know? Irene didn't mind. Of course, she broke up with him a week later because she was interested in getting married, but it was a fun night. She was one of those evangelical Catholics, which was fine and dandy, and she wanted to get married early. Like not even out of college early. Truthfully, it was probably for the best anyway and he knew back then it would never last. Nick wasn't religious, she always went on about having a large Irish Catholic family, and he wasn't ready nor could afford that family.

He wanted kids but seven to ten of them? Oh hell no, you got to be a millionaire or out of your goddamn mind to handle that shit. He still cringed thinking about how much all those college tuitions would be. And the food bills! Oh my God, the food bills!

Luke and Beatrice, though? Damn, he thought those guys were going to last forever. Everyone thought they were going to get married. They were just so in love and photogenic and absolutely crazy about each other. Yeah, as odd as it sounds, Luke was once in a dedicated, lasting relationship with someone. That vow that they made at sixteen? Luke broke it at the Homecoming dance a year later when he met eyes with Beatrice.

Beatrice was hot. She was really, really hot. Nick thought Luke was exaggerating when he said she looked like Megan Fox in _Transformers_ , but God she really did. Most wondered what she saw in him when she could probably score any guy in the school- hell, maybe even the world.

Nick was certain six years later with a shared apartment and car, marriage was around the corner for the lovebirds. Her parents approved, his parents approved, and they were even picking out homes together. As soon as Luke was done college the plan was to propose to her. Nick only knew because he saw the ring in Luke's pocket.

Then, all of a sudden, completely out of nowhere, they broke up. No one saw it coming: not Nick, not their families, nor Pete. Luke just stood on his doorstep one night with his suitcase in his hand, mad as hell at the world. He never explained what had happened, but it had to have been ugly. She took the apartment, their car, and moved away to California a year later to become a model. None of them heard a word from her again.

After that, the business that had been on the back-burner from their high school days was born. Nights of debauchery were to be had and their house became a hotspot for college parties. It was how they met Bonnie.

She and Luke had been on and off again for years now. She was crazy about him. Oh, she loved him to death. Luke could do no wrong in her eyes. It was pretty depressing, honestly, because there was no way he would ever love her back. He even said himself that he always considered her more of a friend if anything and that any chance of a future together dissipated years ago. Of course, that may have been Luke's crippling fear of commitment talking.

Still, he never really broke up with her. Nick was sure he loved the security and support the relationship brought. Hey, she was loyal even when they were scamming Kenny, so love truly must be blind. The way Luke was going, few would give him the time of day anymore. Any girls he brought home ran for the hills after seeing the house, his income, and Nick.

Well, enough about Luke's possible emotional trauma! Nick was going to be late for breakfast!

He ran down the steps and paused when he saw Luke checking himself out in the mirror. His usual outfit consisting of an orange t-shirt and jeans was replaced with a button up, a hideous blue tie, and black slacks.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

Luke turned around. "Well, Nick, as an official faculty member of Stone Mountain High School, I have to reflect the school's values," he began with arrogance. "Respect, dignity, and pride in one's self."

"That's funny because you don't have any of those qualities."

The brunet scowled and let out a muttered "Fuck you." as Bonnie walked out from the doorway with stacks of clothes in her hands. She smiled at Nick and waved after putting the bags down on the couch.

"Hi, Nick!"

"Hey, Bonnie. What are you doing here?"

"I found out Luke didn't have any clothes for his new job, so I went out to the store the other day to make sure he was good and covered. I just need him to try some stuff on to see what fits and what I need to send back." She paused. "Oh, I knew the orange shirt was gonna look good on you!"

"It's definitely my color."

"It really brings out your eyes!" She hummed and rubbed her chin. "But the tie has got to go."

"I like it, though," Luke cried.

"It clashes!" Bonnie grabbed a black and white striped tie off the pile. "I think this would look much better," she said as she replaced the old tie. "Oh, yeah, this is much better!"

Nick chuckled. "You look like that motherfucker from _Nemo_."

"Shut up, dude!"

"And where are you going, Nick?" the redhead asked, pointing to the keys in his hands.

He meekly smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nowhere really-"

"He's got a date," Luke interrupted while messing with his tie.

"Really?" Bonnie gasped as if it was inconceivable that someone wanted to go out with him. Nick felt his temper flare a bit.

"I know, right? I thought he was bullshitting me at first."

"Fuck you, Luke."

"What's their name?" She began to interrogate him, getting excited. "How did you guys meet."

"Her name is Molly-"

Luke scoffed. "That's what you name your dog."

"Oh, shut up, Luke!" she snapped and glared at the other man before turning back to Nick with a smile. "It's okay, Nick. Go on."

"W-Well, Jesus…" Nick nervously laughed as he thought about how they met. He slowly brought his thumb to his mouth and began to chew on his nail. "We- We met at the grocery store-"

"You gotta hear this story, it is something else-"

"Luke!"

"I wasn't looking' where I was going and I… and I… and I…"

"And you what?"

"I accidentally ripped her toenail off with my shopping cart."

Luke busted out into loud, obnoxious cackling -sounding more hyena than human- while Bonnie's grin slowly fell. "Smooth, Nick," he said in between breaths, "real smooth."

"It was an accident!" Nick cried. "Besides, I apologized for it and she accepted-"

"Did you beg her to go out with her? Is it a pity date?"

"No, she was the one who asked me out!" He huffed and pulled his hat down. "And I'm pretty sure it's not a pity date…" He paused for a second. "At least, I-I don't think it is. She really seemed in to me."

Bonnie put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't psych yourself out, Nick. I'm sure she's just as into you as you're into her." She smiled. "Besides, she still asked you for breakfast after you ripped her toenail off. If that ain't a sign, I don't know what is!"

Nick took a shaky breath. "You're right, you're right," he said. "I'm psyching myself out over this. Everything's going to be fine."

"See, that's the spirit! Have you told Pete, yet?"

"Not yet," he replied. "I want to see how things go today before I tell him. I'm going up to the cabin this weekend to fish with him… Maybe, I'll invite her up for the day."

"You better hope to God Kenny's not there," Luke cried. "If you being a dumbass hasn't made her run, that crazy sonuvabitch will."

"I'll just worry about it when this date isn't a disaster." Nick looked down at the watch Pete got him for his birthday and gasped. "Oh, shit, I gotta go!" He grabbed his wallet off the table, making a mad dash for the door. "Shit, I'm supposed to be there in five minutes!"

"Late for your first date?" Luke called as the door slammed shut. "Smooth, Nick! You are just a real Casanova, aren't you?"

"You got this, Nick! I believe in you!" Bonnie put her hands on her hip. "Well, there he goes! I was thinking," she started, smacking her lips as she turned to Luke, "maybe we could go out on Saturday to the bar or something. You know, to celebrate your job?" She rubbed her arm. "W-We could give it another try… if you want."

"No," Luke shook his head. "Bonnie, we both know it's over-"

Bonnie took a step forward. "You always say that! You always say that, but I know you don't mean it because you always come back! You always do!" she cried.

"Bonnie, I can't!"

"Stop lying to yourself, Luke! Jesus, I'm so sick of men refusing to commit and playing women like damn fiddles just so they can get some ass!"

"Bonnie," Luke snapped, "you know I don't see you like that."

"Then what do you see me as, huh?" She crossed her arms. "Your fuck-buddy?"

"No!"

"Then what am I?"

There's silence. Luke looked at the floor with a pitiful expression. Bonnie ran a hand through her hair, slumping down on the couch with an irritated huff.

"I don't know what went down with Beatrice, okay." She tried to remain as calm as possible. "But it's over now, alright? It's been over for nearly ten years, Luke, You can't be afraid anymore."

"I-It's not easy."

"It's okay to love again. There's nothing wrong with loving, alright? Look, if you want to be single, that's fine, but don't play me." She sighed. "Be real with me, okay… Do you love me? Be honest, please."

"I can't do it again," Luke murmured. "I just can't."

"Can't do what?"

"Get burned."

* * *

Hearing people from before talking about how addicted they were to cell phones was pathetic. How can you become addicted? They're not drugs or alcohol; it's not very hard to turn off your phone. What, are you addicted to texting people? If so, then you must have a lot of contacts. Clementine thought the whole _iPhon_ e craze was stupid- it was stupid before the dead rose, too. The only phone she had ever used was the dead flip phone her dad had given her after he upgraded to an _Android_.

But, then she actually got one. Oh my God, she was so wrong… so wrong. Clementine couldn't last ten minutes without checking for texts and calls. She lived and breathed her rose gold _iPhone_. It had everything- it was everything! With a single tap she was on the internet and could look up anything she wanted, she could go on _Youtube_ and watch cute cat videos, or she could go on social media and see what everyone was posting about. Instagram was her favorite but she also had a _Twitter_ account. After the whole day at Macon, she got a bunch of new followers including Duck and Gabe, and so she followed them back.

Yes, she did go back and see all their posts. No, it wasn't to be weird or anything. Clementine had to admit it was pretty adorable how Gabe usually found a way to put his sister, dad, or grandma into pictures. Then, she almost liked a post of David at the beach from a year ago, and for a second, her soul left her body. Damn her butter fingers.

Her _Instagram_ was made up of what interested her- anything that really got her attention; maybe it was the burgers her dad was cooking on the grill, or there was an apple at the grocery store that was a different shape than the rest, or she found a cool rock. A lot of people were posting selfies, but her page consisted of the little things in life that make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Perhaps, most wouldn't notice it, but going for so long without this peace made Clementine appreciate it even more. She was done missing her childhood, being a normal teenager was pretty fun.

Oh, she also got Duck and Gabe's numbers and was added into a group chat with two other girls named Sarah and Becca. Considering that apparently Duck was buddies with everyone she had ever met when the world went to shit, her Sarah being the same girl in these chats wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. If only he knew Lee- she needed to congratulate him for actually getting with Carley.

 _ **DefGoing2Hell:** mall opens in an hour. who's in?_

 _ **Rosetinted_Glasses:** Me!_

 _ **Beanie_Boy:** idk…_

 _ **Boy_Wonder:** seriously dude come on why u gotta be like this?_

 _ **Boy_Wonder:** i bet clem is in._

 _ **Boy_Wonder:** right clem?_

God, she hadn't been to the mall in ages. The last time she could remember going was when she needed to get dress shoes for her aunt's wedding when she was eight. She grabbed her phone and began to type.

 _ **Orange** : sure. i got nothing better to do._

It was true, she had nothing better to do. Her mom was at work and her dad was probably passed out on the recliner watching T _he Real Sports Stars of Miami_ again. Clementine needed to get out of the house.

 _ **Boy_Wonder:** see, hah! XD_

 _ **Beanie_Boy:** oh i didn't know clem was going._

 _ **DefGoing2Hell:** bruh werent u crying over christine last week at the victoria's secret lmao_

 _ **Beanie_Boy:** i did not!_

 _ **Rosetinted_Glasses:** It's okay, Gabe. You can admit it. We're all friends here!_

 _ **Beanie_Boy:** i never cried at the victoria's secrets!_

 _ **Boy_Wonder:** dude u totally did everyone saw u._

 _ **Orange:** that's really weird._

 _ **Beanie_Boy:** look i was in a bad place ok?_

 _ **DefGoing2Hell:** lmao u just admitted it!_

DefGoing2Hell must have been Becca, the 'punk' who played 'Satanic' music to drive Kenny up the wall. There was no shame there. Well, at least she had self-confidence; you could never have enough of that these days.

 _ **Orange:** i'll meet you guys there at 10:35_

 _ **DefGoing2Hell:** its about time we got to meet you._

 _ **Rosetinted_Glasses:** Not going to lie, I'm just picturing you as an orange lol :D_

 _ **Beanie_Boy:** nah she's pretty cool guys i think youre gonna like her_

 _ **Boy_Wonder:** bro i introduced her to you._

 _ **Beanie_Boy:** I KNOW THAT_

 _ **DefGoing2Hell:** its gettin spicy in here_

 _ **Orange:** i'm gonna get ready. see u guys there!_

 _ **Rosetinted_Glasses:** It's going to be so cool finally getting to meet you, Clem!_

* * *

Finding a table at _Starbucks_ wasn't very hard. Most of the customers bustling in were eating on the go, probably on their way to work. No, the hard part was not eating until Molly arrived. Nick was starving.

After about five minutes of waiting, he checked his watch. He was late himself, but Molly said to be there ten minutes ago, and she still hadn't shown up. Maybe, traffic was bad… hopefully, traffic was bad. Still, no matter what, that nagging feeling of being stood up remained in the pit of his stomach.

Molly didn't seem like that type, though. She was the one who made the first move, so that had to mean she was into him, right? Who would ask someone out just to never show? Perhaps, a sadist, but she wasn't like that.

Yeah, she wasn't like that.

* * *

 _"What are you wearing to Coachella?"_

 _"I don't know, what are you wearing?"_

 _"I don't know."_

 _Javier took a sip of his martini. The club was booming- literally, the music was so loud the whole goddamn place was vibrating. The floors were shaking. If he wasn't drunk off his ass he'd be worried about an earthquake. Jess and her girlfriends were sitting on the barstools beside him chatting about shit they had no knowledge of. Fuck Coachella, Lollapalooza is where it's at. God, you'd think these models would know this!_

 _"Jess and Courtney and Jo-Jo think they know what they're talking about, but they don't," he said, turning to the camera guy next to him. "Music festivals are like an art, okay. Lollapalooza is, like, the Pieta and Coachella is the Ecce Hommos."_

 _"I'm thinking of just wearing whatever Kylie is wearing."_

 _"I'm was just thinking of just wearing whatever you were wearing." Jess bit her nail. "Does that make me a copycat? I don't want them to call me a copycat."_

 _Jo-Jo slammed her fist down on the table. "Fuck TMZ and those bitches! You look way better than them anyway!" she cried and her words slurred. "Waiter, give me and my girl here another drink!"_

 _"Thanks, you always know how to make me feel better," Jess smiled._

 _"No problem, girl-"_

 _The club door slammed open. "Where the fuck is Javier!" A loud, deep voice bellowed as the music died. Most of those who weren't passed out under a table stopped their dancing to gawk. "Where the fuck is he?"_

 _Jess put a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God, is that?"_

 _"Damien George of the Miami Dolphins?" Javier eyes narrowed, staring straight at the camera. "Yes… Yes, it is."_

 _"Damien and Javier are not friends," Jess began to another cameraman. "They're, like, arch-enemies, so I'm really nervous where this is going to go. I just hope we're not kicked out… " She fiddled with her hair. "We can't be banned from another club."_

 _"Garcia!" Damien stomps through the dance floor, shoving people out of the way with his almost inhumanly large hands. "You're in trouble now, motherfucker!" His eyes widened when he and the other man make eye contact. "Oh, I got you!" He grinned maniacally. "Oh, I got you now!"_

 _"What do you want, George!" Javier yelled. "You know, for someone who hates my guts, you sure go out of your way to find me!"_

 _"You were talking shit about my girlfriend last night to Toby!"_

 _"How do you know?"_

 _"He told me."_

 _The camera zoomed in on Javi's face as he gasped. "Oh my God."_

 _"Oh my God is right, motherfucker! What do you got to say for yourself?"_

 _"Toby is a fucking liar and I hate his fucking guts!" Javier cried to the camera. "That snitch! I trusted him and I thought we were cool because I thought we both hated Bea, but apparently, we're not cool. Snitches get stitches!" He punched his hand. "He isn't getting away with this!"_

 _Damien snapped his fingers. "Hello, motherfucker, I am talking to you! He told me everything!"_

 _"Everything?"_

 _"Everything!"_

 _The baseball player ran his fingers through his hair. "Odio mi vida," he muttered under his breath before pausing. "Wait, he didn't tell you that I said that her lips made her look like that guy from Monster's Inc. after he gets the air sucked out of him, right?"_

 _"He did!" The NFL superstar grabbed the other's shirt and yanked him forward. "He did. Shut up, she is beautiful!"_

 _"Oh… "_

 _"Javier definitely shouldn't have told Toby all those things about Bea," Jess said to the camera. "It's, like, really mean, but at the same time I hate Bea, so she deserves this. Her lip injections suck, fuck her."_

 _Damien growled and leaned forward, nearly touching noses with Javier. "You know what I'm going to do to you?"_

 _"Are we going to hate fuck?" Javi asked nervously. "Because, y'know, if we get any closer we're gonna start making out-"_

 _"No! I'm going to kick your ass!"_

"Dad?"

 _"You're not going to kick my ass because I'm going to kick your ass first, George!"_

"Dad?"

 _Jess jumped up and tried to pull her boyfriend away. "No, there will be no ass kicking! We can't get banned again, Javi!"_

"Dad!"

Ed's eyes shot open and he nearly jumped out of the recliner, clutching his chest. Clementine is standing over him with a smirk. She's got the TV remote in her hands. "Oh, Jesus, Clem," he began, still recovering. "Don't scare your old man like that."

"Sorry," she replied.

"It's all good," he smiled. "So, what do you need from your old man? I can make you breakfast-"

"I actually need a ride." Clementine rubbed her arm. "My friends and I are going to meet up at the mall for a couple hours." She paused. "I-If that's okay…"

Ed sighed. "Jesus, you're really sounding like a teenager, you know that?" He slowly stood up with a grunt- making Clem's eyes roll to the back of her head- and searched for his keys.

"Well, I am one."

"Of course," he chuckled, "it just makes me feel old. I remember when we took you home from the hospital and you were so tiny. Your head fit in the palm of my hand." He held his hand out. "Your head was here and your little butt rested right near my elbow."

"Was I a cute baby?" Clementine asked.

"The cutest." Ed's smile fell. "It makes me feel old seeing you go off and doing these teenage things. On one hand, I'm proud to see you growing up, but on the other hand, I want you to stay little."

Clementine put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll always be your little girl, Dad. Nothing will change that."

"I know, darling. I know-"

 _"Javier, oh my God! You got us banned again! Where are we going to go to now?"_

 _"We'll make our own club, babe, and we'll ban Damien from it!"_

The teenage girl glanced at the television and rolled her eyes again. " _The Real Sports Stars of Miami_ , really?"

"It must have come on when I fell asleep!" Ed cried.

Clementine's brows raised.

"I don't watch this-this mindless television, I swear!"

She smirked.

"Alright, alright, you got me, but don't tell your mother. It was just starting to get real good, too. Javier Garcia was making fun of Damien George's girlfriend because she got these really bad lip injections and no one likes her because she's a horrible person and-"

"How about you tell me more about it in the car, okay?"

"Oh, yeah, of course."

* * *

Ten minutes. It had been ten minutes and Molly still wasn't here. Nick groaned, resting his head down on the table. Where the fuck was she? Their date was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago.

She wasn't coming; that was the only conclusion he could come up with. She decided not to show or was messing with him- in all honesty, it didn't matter now. He was stood up. It looked like he was having breakfast by himself. Great, his already low self-esteem took another hit. If it got any lower, he'd be in the center of the Earth.

Hey, at least she could've called him or something instead of making him come all the way here. If she didn't want to go out with him anymore he would have understood. The last thing he needed was Luke finding out. He'd never hear the end of it from him.

One of the barista's washing the tables comes over and places a muffin down. She has dark red hair, but unlike Bonnie's its frizzy curls are nearly uncontrollable; her green eyes are prominent as a sympathetic frown forms. "Hey, sorry you got stood up," she said.

"It's fine," Nick replied. He eyed the pastry, pointing at it. "Is this for me?"

"Yeah, it's on the house. I just felt bad."

He sighed. "Don't- it's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's alright. Shit happens, you know?"

"I guess," the barista frowned, holding her arm. "I'm waiting for someone, too," she began as she wiped off another table. "My roommate was supposed to come here this morning with her date." Her eyes widened. "Unless…"

"Are you Sandra?"

The barista gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "Are you Nick?"

He nodded.

"Oh my God, I'm so stupid! Of course, you're Nick!" she cried, beginning to hit herself with her rag. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"You know about me?"

"Molly's told me all about you!" Sandra plopped down in the chair across from him. "You ripped off her toenail at the grocery store over juice pouches!"

Nick frowned. "Is that all she said about me?" On one hand, he was happy Molly cared enough to talk about him to Sandra, but who knows what she was saying. She could have been making fun of him behind his back or something.

"Oh, no!" Sandra laughed and waved him off. "She joked about how she doesn't have a thing for rednecks, but that she'd make an exception for you!" She paused when his eyes narrowed. "I don't think I was supposed to say that. There's nothing wrong with being a redneck, though. I mean, you live your own lifestyle I guess and-"

"Anything else?"

"She said you had the prettiest eyes she's ever seen. According to her, they, like, glow in the dark." She pursed her lips. "Oh, they're doing it now!"

Nick turned away and pulled his hat down, blushing. The only people who ever thought so highly of him were his mom, Pete, and sometimes Luke. If she cared so much, though, why didn't she come? He took a deep breath. Traffic was probably bad, he thought. Yeah, maybe there was an accident or something. She'd arrive, eventually.

Hopefully, it was before he ate his muffin, or he was leaving.

* * *

"Will twenty dollars be enough?"

"Yeah, I'm probably only getting lunch."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, dad."

"Well, what if you want to buy something, but you can't afford it and-"

Clementine sighed, shaking her head. "Dad, I'll be fine!" she cried. "Trust me, I'm good money wise."

"Okay, okay!" Ed put his hands up. "I'm just trying to help you out here, kiddo," he said before pulling out his wallet. He slowly handed her another twenty. "Here, make this a forty, and do not tell your mother, understand?"

"Dad, come on."

"It will be our little secret," Ed whispered, "cause if she finds out I gave you this, I will be a dead man."

Clementine glanced at the money and then at her father. "You're not going to leave me alone until I take the dollar, are you?"

"Nope."

She groaned and put it in her pocket. She then opened the car door and hopped out right near the entrance of _Macy's_. Ed pulled his window down, leaning over a bit. "You'll text me when you need me to pick you up, right?"

"Of course, dad," Clementine replied as she pulled out her phone.

"Make sure to take note of the emergency exists, okay?"

"I always do, dad."

"Oh, and if you see any suspicious characters, make sure to report them to mall security!"

"Yes, dad."

Please, she didn't need any lectures about safety. Clementine could handle herself just fine; she did it for years by herself with a toddler. If anything, she should be lecturing him.

"Also, make sure to cover your nose when you walk by _Abercrombie and Fitch_. I know the cologne they spray aggravates your sinuses-"

"Goodbye, dad!" she cried and waved, already walking into the doors of the mall. Clementine had heard enough out of Ed for the time being. Now, she needed to figure out where her friends were. They said they would be at the food court, but where was that exactly? She could remember the mall having three floors; which one was it on, though?

Well, if she was in _Macy's_ now, which was on the bottom floor, she'd better start walking. It would be quite a distance. Thankfully, it wasn't too crowded. No one shopped on a Monday morning- everyone waited until Friday or Saturday night, causing aggravation. If she hadn't found her way in about ten minutes, she'd try texting them to get directions.

* * *

Nick's muffin was done, he was absolutely defeated, and all he wanted to do was go home. Molly never came. Of course, she wouldn't come, what was he expecting? Jesus, he got his hopes up just for this! Sandra tried to remain supportive, but as five minutes turned into ten, her cheery attitude dulled. What was there to say? What could she do? It wasn't like she could keep going on about how interested Molly was in him or that she said his eyes were beautiful. That stopped working fifteen minutes ago.

You know what, fuck this.

He stood up and threw his wrapper into the trash can. He then slapped five bucks onto the countertop for Sandra- anyone who stayed by him for this long when he was in such a sour mood deserved it- and pulled out his keys. He ignored the redhead's dismayed expression.

"Wait, don't go!" Sandra pleaded. "She's going to come, I know she is!"

"You said that five minutes ago," Nick replied.

"She's probably on her way!"

"I've been here for nearly a half hour waiting!" he snapped. "Look, thanks for trying to cheer me up and all, but she stood me up, and I'm leaving now."

"But, she's coming!"

"Bullshit."

"No!" Sandra cried, pointing out the window. "Look, she's running across the street now!"

Nick turned and his breath hitched. Sandra was right; Molly was sprinting towards them at a breakneck pace. He had never been much of a runner growing up- his muscles always cramped up if he went too far- so he couldn't help but be impressed. And with how damaged her foot had been just two days ago? Wow, she was like _Superwoman_.

Wait, he was mad at her.

Molly threw the door opened and immediately slumped into a booth, panting. She was drenched in sweat; absolutely soaked. Nick cringed when he saw it drip off her nose onto the table.

Oh, gross.

Sandra tossed her a water bottle just as she began to get her breath. "My car broke down…" she gasped, ripping open the cap and chugging it down like her life depended on it. Judging from how she looked, it probably did. "I was starting it up… and it wouldn't start… so I ran here…"

"Molly," Sandra scolded, putting her hands on her hips. "You should've called an _Uber_! It's, like, a hundred degrees out!"

"It would've taken too long… Besides, I needed the exercise." The blonde turned to Nick and frowned. "I guess I missed our date, huh?"

"You should've told me," he said. "I would've picked you up."

She shook her head. "I didn't want to put you through the extra stress."

"I would've done it, though. Better than waiting for almost forty minutes."

"I'm really sorry, Nick." Molly frowned. "I-I really am. Look, if you want to leave, that's totally fine and I get it."

He smirked and sat down across from her. "What and miss the belle of the ball-"

"Stop flirting!" Molly groaned and covered her face. "I'm gross."

"Eh, I live with another guy; you're not gross, trust me." He glanced at her and Sandra as his grin grew. "I mean as a redneck I've definitely seen worse, you know? Luke stinks up the shit-hole we use outside all the damn time."

Her eyes narrow for a second before gasping. "Sandra!" she cried, slamming the table with her fists. "Oh my God!"

"I'm sorry!"

"And my eyes are the prettiest you've ever seen, huh?"

"Sandra!"

"I'm sorry!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, another chapter's done! I wanted to get this out when Episode 5 finished but real life got in the way. Whatever, though, I'm happy with it. We got a bunch of new characters introduced or mentioned: Bonnie (Luke's on and off again girlfriend who wants more), Damien George (Javier's arch nemesis), Sandra (Molly's roommate with a heart of gold), Jo-Jo (Jess' best friend who's always drunk), and Beatrice (Luke's mysterious ex). Yes, Beatrice is the same girl from the beginning of Long Road Ahead and Nick's ex is Irene from A New Day.**_

 _ **Will we ever find out what exactly happened to Luke? Will Kenny ruin Molly and Nick's budding romance? Will Ed stop watching shitty reality shows? Tune in next time to find out. Also, your reviews keep me going, so if you have the time please put down a comment!**_


	14. When Doves Cry

The mall was larger than she remembered- cleaner, too. Still pretty nasty, but much better than the dilapidated, forever stained buildings Clementine wandered through to scavenge and rest. Compared to how Howe's looked, this was paradise. If you thought greasy food and terrible clothing stores was paradise, that is. Clothes weren't important back when the world went to hell. If it kept you warm and moderately protected than it was doing its job. Fashion here, though, meant everything. It could make or break you.

Like, if she was caught with that stupid, puffy, old rainbow jacket here, she'd probably be crucified on the spot.

There were so many clothes, though; there was so much variety! It was amazing! Vests in every color of the rainbow, t-shirts of every size, different types of jeans, and cabinets of jewelry were just in _Macy's_ alone. The rest of the mall? You could get anything- absolutely anything- you wanted. Odds were, there was a store just for you. Want a graphic t-shirt? Go to _Hot Topic_ or _Spencer's_. Need new underwear or a bra? _Victoria's Secret_ is right next store. Need new shoes? _Footlocker_ is your friend.

If only they had been this stocked up back when she raided them. When the apocalypse broke out, everyone must have gone to the big marts and malls first to get supplies or simply loot for the hell of it. Poor bastards were stealing thousands of dollars in makeup, but it wouldn't save them from the dead. Walkers don't care how pretty you are when they're about to get the chomp on you.

Clementine had her first escalator ride in almost five years. It was nerve-wracking, and she nearly tripped over her own feet, but it gave her a rush- almost like a roller coaster. None of these people had to use the stairs anymore and they didn't even care nor realize just how lucky they were. It took her about five minutes to talk herself into even taking the first step when the woman behind her didn't think twice before hopping on. She had gotten a few looks for that, but that wasn't stopping Clementine!

The food court was on the third floor, just as she remembered. It wasn't hard to spot the several mini restaurants and tables. How embarrassing would it have been to ask for directions? There was barely anyone there either, thank God! She wouldn't have to spend several awkward minutes just standing there, looking like a deer in headlights. All she has to do is walk past _Susan's Candle Store_ and she would be coming into the court.

Clementine turns her head for a brief second when she spots _Build-A-Bear_. She's tempted to go back after years and years and make a new bear, but the sound of glass breaking disrupts her thoughts. She pauses, slowly backing away, having no time to react unlike the other patrons, who shout and murmur in surprise.

There on the ground, laying in shattered, tiny pieces of glass is a dead bird. A pool of blood is slowly seeping out from under its back. Clementine doesn't want to get too close and risk getting glass in her feet, but she can see its tiny feet sticking up in the air, twitching. A final, desperate move from the brain as it tries to save itself. She's seen it before.

"Damn!" the man working at the candle store curses as he runs out. "Holy shit!" He points up to the glass ceiling in awe. "It went through the ceiling!"

Clementine, like most of the other shoppers at this point, immediately turned her attention to the medium sized hole in the roof, right above where the bird was. It matched its size; it still remained unknown what species it was, but she presumed it was a dove. Didn't really matter, though, it was dead.

"How the hell did it do that?" A woman, who had been getting a slice of pizza from _Sbarro_ , scratched her head with narrowed eyes.

"Did it dive-bomb or something? It went straight through."

"Yo, it's a bomber bird!"

A bomber bird? Well, that was a first, though, it wasn't out of the possibility. When looking at the hole and how the ceiling was completely flat, the bird must have flown straight down. However, how fast would it have been going to shatter the glass? What was it doing, falling from space?

 _It was weird._

Some of the mall-goers are recording the aftermath on their phones as the janitors come in and attempt to clean up the mess. She wouldn't even know where to start. Do you first turn your attention to the gaping hole in the roof or the hundreds of tiny pieces of glass all over the floor? Before they can put up their yellow signs, she hops over the carcass, praying she didn't step on any glass. Thankfully, she was safe; the janitors gave her a glare, but her feet were fine and that was all that mattered.

"Yo, that is sick!" A girl exclaims as she comes up behind Clementine to begin snapping as many photos as she can. She's got short black hair that comes up to her neck, a backwards dark green baseball cap on, and old, ripped jeans; over her, _Led Zeppelin_ graphic tee is a red and black plaid flannel. For some reason, she looks familiar, but Clementine just can't place her. "Sarah, check this shit out!"

"I don't want to see!" Clementine's brows furrow when she hears what has to be Sarah's voice. Her Sarah. She turns around and sure enough, there's the teenage girl- she's slightly older, but it's her. Her hair is up in a ponytail and she's wearing shorts and a blue T-shirt, but she's still got her red glasses. Sarah's keeping her distance from the scene right over at the _Chick-Fil-A._

 _How the fuck did Duck know all these people?_

"Sarah, it looks like an album cover!"

She shakes her head and looks away. "No, it's sad! That poor baby bird!"

Yep, Sarah hadn't changed a bit; still loving and compassionate. The other girl, who Clementine presumes is Becca, rolls her eyes and continues to fill up her phone's memory with pictures of this dead bird.

Clementine facepalms when Duck comes out of nowhere to join her. He doesn't even notice the younger girl until she loudly coughs into her fist. "Oh, hey, Clementine," he begins, never taking his eyes off the corpse. "I see you found the food court."

"Are you seriously this fascinated with this bird?" she asks and crosses her arms.

"Come on, Clem, it fucking dive bombs in here and you expect me not to take pictures of it?" He smirks. "It seems like you don't know me well at all. Besides," he shrugs, "this is the most interesting thing I've seen all week."

"That's pretty sad, then."

"Look at its wings and the glass! It's all spread out like Jesus," Becca says.

"Sick!"

"When I start my band this is going to be the cover. Like, it's set in stone, you can't change my mind, this is the cover."

"Becca, you've been saying you were going to start your band for two years now."

For the sake of Clementine's sanity, she needed to get away from Tweedledee and Tweedledum here. She walked over to Sarah, restraining herself from giving the other a hug. "Hi."

Apparently, Sarah was in the mood for hugs, though, and her eyes lit up as she immediately scooped her up in a giant bear hug. For a tiny girl, she was pretty damn strong. Holy hell, it was almost back breaking. "Oh my God!" she squealed. "You must be Clementine!"

"And you must be Sarah." Clementine grinned through gritted teeth. _I know you_ , she wanted to say.

"Duck and Gabe told me so much about you!" The Hispanic teenager finally lets her go and put her hands on the other's shoulders. "You're adorable. I mean, I knew you probably would be, but you're even cuter than I imagined!"

"Thanks?" Clementine wasn't sure how to respond to that. She was not cute, goddamn it.

"Oh, Gabe isn't here yet- if you're looking for him." Sarah glanced around the food court. "He texted me, like, ten minutes ago saying he was pulling up, but I don't know where he could be."

"That's fine," Clementine replied, "we'll wait for him."

She nodded before watching Becca and Duck. "Yeah, besides, who knows how long it will take for these two to finish." She frowned. "I feel bad for that bird."

"Me too, but shit happens."

"How did it even happen, though?"

Clementine squinted up at the hole again. "I have no clue. I just hope Gabe knows to go the other way."

"Oh yeah… He's going to be so mad if he has to go all the way to the other side."

* * *

"So, what business were you in exactly?"

"What?"

"You know, what were you doing? Did you own a bakery, do finances, or run a store? I was just curious."

This date was going pretty good up until this point. In fact, it was almost going too well. Nick knew he shouldn't have gotten too comfortable. Of course, anyone interested in a relationship would want to know about their potential significant other's life. God, there was so much Nick wanted to know about her: like did she have any pets, what was her family like, did she have a favorite color, etc.

He couldn't lie to her. Molly was smart as a whip; she seemed- no- was the type to not take bullshit from anyone. She'd know something was up. If she didn't question it someone would eventually open their mouth (most likely Kenny) and the truth would be revealed. She'd never trust him again. Their relationship would be over before it even again. The thought of it killed him; he had to come clean.

"Okay, well, do you promise not to think of me any differently?"

Her eyes widen. "Oh my God, is this super illegal?"

"No! Well-"

"Did you sell drugs?"

"No-"

"Counterfeit money?"

"No."

"I got it! You made moonshine!"

"No, no, it wasn't anything like that!" He paused. "Okay, we attempted to do the last one, but that's beside the point." He sighed. "We dabbled in a lot of things, but outdoor recreation kind of became our shtick."

The blonde tilted her head and her brows furrowed. "So, like _Bass Pro Shop_ and _Cabela's_?" she asked.

"Uh… yeah, sort of like those guys…" he stammered.

"There's more to this, isn't there?"

Nick took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. Oh, he just had to get this over with and say it already. The more he waited, the worse it would be, like slowly pulling a band-aid instead of just ripping it off. It'll be fine. Everything will be fine.

But, then he sees her face and freezes. Why would someone so beautiful ever notice an unemployed loser like him? This was a woman who could get anyone she wanted, absolutely anyone, and she decided on him. Not Luke or anyone else- just him. The gnawing, agonizing fear that Molly would no longer want anything to do with him was eating him alive.

"Nick?" Her tone was soft, devoid of the sarcasm from earlier. "Nick, are you alright?"

"I just don't want you to think any less of me."

"I wouldn't." She smiles sincerely; his stomach is in knots. "All I want is for you to be honest with me."

"Okay, okay," he stammered, trying to recover. Nick glanced up at her again before biting his thumb. "We would buy fishing lines and shit from _Walmart_ , claim them as our own, and scam this guy named Kenny. He eventually found out, but for a while, we were making a good sum of money." Oh God, he doesn't even want to see her face. "I mean, enough to pay the bills, but he eventually found out because I forgot to remove the price tag..."

There's silence. He wants to jump out the window and run away- never to be seen again. He stares at the ground; the only thing he can hear is his heart pounding in his chest. Thank God Sandra was behind the counter because the last thing he needed was a comment from her.

Then, after a few seconds that seem more like minutes, he hears a giggle. He slowly looked up to see Molly biting her fist, red-faced and struggling not to laugh. "Are you for real?" she finally said, cackling. "That's what you were afraid to tell me?"

"Well, I mean-"

"You scammed a redneck, so what?" she replied. "Here you got me all worried that you were doing some illegal shit." She put a hand on her chest and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Honestly, I think it's pretty funny."

"You do?" Nick cocked his head to the side.

"Dude, you could've gotten away with it too if you just ripped the tags off."

"I guess I could have," he paused. "So, you're not mad?"

She shook her head. "No, am I supposed to be?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what? You haven't done anything." She smiled, slightly confused, and rested her hand on his. Nick hesitates for a moment, unsure whether to hold it or not, but slowly takes it. Her hand is so small compared to his- so petite, but at the same time rough and calloused. He wondered what she did to get them like that. "You need to boost your self-esteem, Nick. There's nothing wrong with you."

"I don't know, there's a lot I would change about myself."

"Funny, I wouldn't change a thing."

Yeah, he supposed that was pretty funny.

* * *

Gabe predictably enough didn't go the other way, though everyone texted him to do so. He was barely paying attention to his surroundings when he nearly walked into the large 'Cleaning in Process' sign. The teenage boy, who had been nodding along to his music, took out his earbuds and stepped back. He glanced at the shattered glass and bloodstained floor, the bird now gone, and then the ceiling, and then back to the ground.

"The fuck?" Clementine saw him mouth to himself as his eyes narrowed. "What the fuck?"

"Yo, Gabe!" Becca, who's now sitting at their table and munching on a piece of pizza, calls. "You're gonna have to go around the other way!"

He stares at the floor again and does a double take. "Uh, what the hell happened?"

"You didn't get our text?" Duck asked.

"No, I was listening to music!"

"Well, you totally missed it," the other boy replied. "This bird just, like, flew in like this-" he made a whooshing sound and waved his arm dramatically. "And then, it crashed like this!" He attempted to recreate the sound of glass crashing but failed miserably. "And it, like, slammed into the ground and it died. It was pretty rad, you should've been there."

Sarah glares at him. "Not rad. That poor bird..."

"How did that happen?" Gabe asked incredulously.

"Dude, I just went through it. Do you want me to do it again?"

He shook his head. "God, no, I just… Birds don't fly into windows."

"They do, though," Clementine said with a raised brow.

"No, I mean, I know that they do!" Gabe cried and raised his hands. "What I was trying to say was that they don't just dive bomb through the fucking ceiling!"

Becca finished her slice. "Maybe it was after Clem or something, I don't know." She shrugged. "Stop gawking like an idiot and come over here."

Clementine smirked as Gabe turned around and made his way around the mall, no doubt mumbling curses under his breath. He put his earbuds in as he stormed off. There he goes. She reached over and took a slice of pizza from the box that Becca had gotten from _Sbarro_ while they waited for him. It would be a damn shame if he was stuck eating cold pizza, or perhaps nothing at all if Duck couldn't keep his greasy hands away. He was currently on his third slice and seemed to have no intentions of stopping anytime soon.

* * *

"Is it okay if I ask about your family?"

Molly's in mid-bite of the breakfast sandwich that Sandra was so kind enough to bring over when Nick asks. Now, it was her turn on the hot seat; okay, it was just about her home life, but it was his turn to ask the questions. Hopefully, it wasn't anything like his or else he'd feel like an awful person for putting her on the spot.

"Is it alright if I ask about yours?"

He nodded. "Yeah, of course."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. With a few swipes and taps, she turned it around and pointed at the picture on the screen. Nick squinted; there was Molly redder than a tomato wearing her usual getup of shorts and a tanktop with sunglasses. She looked good. Well, the sunburn looked pretty bad and it probably hurt like a motherfucker, but she still looked good. His attention soon turned to the other people in the photo. To her right was an even redder, portly middle-aged man with thinning blond-gray hair wearing a Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and carrying a large camera around his neck. That must be her father. And the pretty, slightly younger, less burnt brunette holding his hand must have been her mother. Finally, there was the young girl posing next to Molly. She didn't look much older than twenty at the most with short, dark brown hair and wore a pink sundress.

"This is from our trip to Disney last week," Molly began, pointing at the photo. "There's my dad, mom, and my sister Hilda. My parents are hardcore Disney fans, so we go there a lot." She stopped. "Also, I know, I'm burnt."

"What happened to you?" He laughed. "Jesus Christ."

"Let's just say that waterproof sunscreen is a scam."

"And your dad?"

She smirked. "He's just too much of a stubborn asshole to put it on."

"Ah, so that's where you get it from." He chuckled when he got a light slap on the arm as a response.

"You're a dick," she said, though there was no hint of venom in her voice, just mild amusement. "Alright, your turn."

Nick shrugged. "It's just my uncle Pete and I. My mom… she… uh, well she died last year." He frowned when he began to think about his late mother.

"Oh, Nick, I'm so sorry."

"My dad was never really around, so we were close. It hit me pretty hard, but she's not suffering anymore, so… yeah." He feels her hand rest on his arm, he holds it tight. "Cancer's a bitch."

"I'm so sorry, Nick," Molly murmurs.

It takes a minute for him to calm down, but he moves her hand away from his arm and cradled it with both hands. "My uncle Pete has a cabin in Lake Allatoona. I go there down a lot to keep him company and fish with him. I'm actually going down there this weekend-"

"And you want me to go with you?"

"I know this seems rushed, but I thought I could introduce you to my uncle Pete because I know he would want to meet you, and it would be just a nice day on the boat fishing and-"

"I'll go." She smiled, holding on tighter.

"You guys better not make any Nick Jr.'s!" Sandra cries from the counter.

He rolled his eyes. "Please, Uncle Pete would kill me. Besides, I'm pretty sure Kenny and Duck are coming down, so I mean, like, we couldn't even if we wanted to…" Nick cringed, immediately regretting what he just said.

"The old redneck you scammed is coming down?" Molly asked and got excited. "And his pet duck?"

"No, Duck's his son."

"He has a duck for a son?"

"N-No, they just call him Duck because he's an idiot, but yes, they're coming down."

There's a mischievous grin on her face. What's she going to do? Kenny already hated him, so if she tries to mess with him, he's going to be the one who gets his ass kicked- not her. Kenny was a gentleman or as much of a gentleman as an angry, old Floridian could be.

Well, he was probably getting his ass kicked anyway...

* * *

Gabe had to buy his own slice of pizza, which he was not happy about, but finally, the whole crew was together. Clementine couldn't even remember the last time she had a slice of pizza, and as mediocre as it tasted (because most mall pizzas were), she couldn't get enough of it. Definitely better than old, stale peaches and beans, that's for sure. The truck ride to _Howe's_ was a rough one after that meal.

And soda? As bad as it was for her, she was quickly becoming addicted to _Coca-Cola_. Of course, she'd probably feel like garbage afterward, but in the moment it tasted so good.

"My dad said I can bring you guys to the swim club on Friday," Sarah says, getting everyone's attention. "It's bingo night, so we're going to be staying a little bit later."

Becca put a hand on her chin, contemplating. "Huh, what's the prize?"

"I don't know… probably just free ice cream from the snack bar or something. Why?"

The older girl shrugged. "Eh, I'm still interested."

"You can come too, Clementine."

Clementine smiled meekly. "Thanks, I'd love to go." _I'd love to spend time with you again, bestie, and this time have fun_ , she wanted to say.

"Are you guys in?" the bespectacled teen asked the boys.

"No, sorry, Sarah," Duck shook his head. "Gabe and I are going to the cabin!" He pulled the Cuban boy into a headlock, ignoring his friend nearly choking on his pizza.

"Really? You're going to the fucking cabin?" Becca rolled her eyes.

Their eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with the cabin?" Duck asked.

"You'd rather go fishing with Luke and Nick than spend time with your best friends?" She put a hand on her chest, pretending that her feelings were hurt. "Dude, summer's almost over!"

"It's not just Luke and Nick," he replied with a huff. "My dad is going down, too."

Becca sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, but Luke and Nick are fucking losers. They are thirty-year-old jobless, virgins who spend their days scratching their asses and drink booze." She counted on her fingers.

"So are Eddie and Wyatt!"

"Eddie and Wyatt work and don't scam hillbillies-"

"My dad is not a… okay, well," Duck stammered. "Luke and Nick are still cool guys!" he finally cried after a couple seconds of thought. "And Luke did get a job, so hah, fuck you!"

"Is he back at _PetSmart_?"

"No, he's banned from there, remember? He accidentally left the cricket container open and caused an infestation."

Clementine wished she was there to see that one.

Gabe looked absolutely defeated. "You're not going to like this" he muttered in between bites of his slice. "Like, none of you are going to like where this is going."

"It can't be that bad," Sarah replied.

"Oh, no, it's bad."

Clementine nodded. "They wouldn't even tell me." Of course, she even wondered what Luke was even doing. Was it illegal? Hearing Nick's rant back in the shed all those years ago had her convinced their business definitely involved breaking the law. Considering his knowledge of stills, they were probably making moonshine.

"You know how Ms. Baldwin retired last year?"

Becca leaned forward. "Yeah, she's, like, old as time itself. What are you getting at, though?"

"Well, they needed a new art teacher and-"

"You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

"See," Gabe began, "I told you she was going to get pissed."

She bolted up and slammed her fists on the table; both Sarah and Clem jumped. "No!" she yelled. "No, shut the fuck up!"

"Calm down, man," Duck said, glancing around the room. "You're making a scene."

"This is my senior year- the best year- and you're telling me this motherfucker is going to be my teacher?"

"You don't even care about school, so why are you so upset?" Sarah asked. "If anything, I should be the one caring."

Becca ripped off her cap and tossed it down. "You damn well should care!" She paced around the table. "Fuck, we should all care. Who the fuck looked at this clown and said ' ah, yes, this man should be allowed to teach children." She stopped and looked at Clementine. "Except for you, I think you're fine."

"And why is that exactly?" Clementine raised a brow.

"Duck's redneck dad-"

"Hey!"

"Shut down their little scam, right? They aren't making money anymore because now they have to get off their lazy asses and work, so who is Luke going to lash out at?"

Duck tapped the table while both Gabe and Sarah's eyes widened. "The education system for giving them college loans?"

"No, moron, you're Luke's new punching bag." Becca snapped, flicking his forehead.

"Why? I didn't give him crippling debt!"

"Luke's going to want revenge for what your dad did, and what better way to fuck with him than use you?" Becca rubbed her chin, acting as if she just found the meaning of life or something. "Teaching is, like, the ultimate way for people to live their fantasies of getting revenge on bullies and shit. They control the classroom, they have the power to fail or pass anyone."

Duck put a hand on his chest. "I didn't bully him!" he cried.

"Yeah, but he's going to see your dad as you, though, so he's going take it out on you. It's kind of like sins of the father." She stopped pacing. "And since we're friends with you, we're fucked by association! You fucked us over, Duck!"

He threw his hands up. "Well, I'm sorry!"

"And here I thought senior year was going to be a breeze." Sarah rubbed her temples.

"The only thing we can hope for is that he makes a fool of himself and he gets roasted to hell and back," Gabe interjected. "This is Luke we're talking about here, he'll fuck himself over eventually."

Clementine coughed in her fist. "So, did you guys all do the summer reading yet?"

* * *

"Are you alright?"

Light amber eyes open with a groan. Slowly, the girl sits up, rubbing her head. She appears about fourteen at the most, but the wide-eyed look of horror on her face makes her seem younger. She stood up, nearly falling over, and her breaths became more panicked by the second

"Relax, you're okay."

She whipped her head around to face the mysterious stranger. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"Even if I told you, you probably wouldn't believe me."

"Is this a dream?"

The stranger shook his head. "I wish, but unfortunately, we're awake."

"What is this place?" The girl asked, glancing around, only seeing white. "There's nothing in here."

"This here is the Void. Right now, we're in limbo."

"I don't understand- I went to bed, and now I'm here? There's got to be a way out!"

"Don't even try," the stranger said as she began to search for an exit. "I've searched this whole place for God knows how long."

"My parents are going to be so worried-"

"They don't even know you're gone."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's a glitch in the Matrix, as they say. You're here, but you're technically still there. It's you, but it's also not."

"I don't understand..."

"It's complicated, sweet pea." He sat down on the ground. "Here, come over. I have so much to tell you and I don't have a lot of time. The Void is angry. I can feel it."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Another chapter in just a week? Thank God for summer vacation, am I right? If I can spit out a chapter a week for the rest of the summer, I think I might be able to finish the story just in time for the year anniversary of the first chapter. Maybe not, though, because this story is huge. Literally, this is a big ass fic.**_

 _ **Some significant stuff happened this chapter. Yeah, that dove died super hard, and Gabe had to buy his own piece of pizza, but Molly and Nick's relationship is going pretty well. Will Uncle Pete approve? Will Molly mess with Kenny? Okay, we all know the answer to that one.**_

 ** _Those crickets in PetSmart freak me out. Imagine the top off and an infestation. Luke, you moron._**

 ** _Also, Gabe is definitely one of those kids who has their earbuds in, gets lost in the music, and then walks into shit._**


	15. The Glass Elevator

_**Disclaimer: This chapter contains mentions of sexual assault and stalking.**_

Summer was the busiest seasons at _Howe's_. Everyone and their mothers were out buying new grills, gardening supplies, paints, etc. It also meant painfully long hours in the hot summer heat. The workers inside were lucky, they had air conditioning, but Jane was dying. Could corporate at least be kind enough to give them new uniforms? Black was fine in the winter, but in August you're soaking in the UV rays. Maybe she'd write a very long, detailed email about it to them along with other grievances.

Of course, if Troy had actually kept his damn promise, she would have been enjoying the AC and not outside. Fucking asshole, she should've gotten a promotion just having to look at his dick. If she could hold on until she graduated school, she'd at least have a chance to get out and far away from him and her family as possible. Perhaps, she'd move back to Baltimore or D.C. She had lived the first ten years of her life there before her old man got a new job offer in Atlanta. The _Coca-Cola Company_ pays their financial analysts nicely.

After the years of nice vacations, extravagant gifts, and a large, luxury house in a quiet residential neighborhood, being on her own sucked. It was jarring. Jane was thrown to the wolves- metaphorically, of course- and she had no choice but to survive on her own. Her apartment was shit, her job was shit, and she was excommunicated from her family. Her asshole landlord raised the rent, again, so she had no choice but to get a temporary job working part-time as a lifeguard at a swim club to pay the bills.

Things would be a lot easier without Troy, though.

He was a lot of things: an asshole, creep, a human form of shit, the list went on and on. If you opened the dictionary and looked up the word sex offender, he would be the picture you see next to the description, which only consists of his name. The first thing she'd do when she got out of _Howe's_ was to put him on that 'special' list; her mom used to use one when she was a kid every time someone moved into the neighborhood. Lately, he had gotten even more creepy, which Jane didn't honestly think was possible. He called her in on days she was off, offered to take her out to dinner, and seemed to become convinced that they were in some kind of relationship. Nope, she wouldn't love him even if he was the last person on Earth. She tossed the flowers he got her in the dumpster the second her shift was over.

Imagining his downfall was the only thing getting her through the past year. At least, she use could this time outside to plan revenge; the heat only just facilitated her rage.

God, she needed to get high. Perhaps a joint with Eddie and Wyatt would sooth her nerves a bit.

She's inspecting some tomato plants when someone taps her shoulder. Jane half expects it to be Troy, and almost gives an eye roll, until she sees the elderly woman staring up at her hesitantly. "Excuse me, I need some help." the customer says.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I was wondering," the old woman begins as she pulls out insect killer from her basket. "My garden has been attacked for these past few weeks by these horrible bugs-"

"Yeah, they've been pretty bad this year." Bad was an understatement. _Howe's_ lost a ton of plants throughout the summer, which led to fits from both Troy and their manager.

"Well, I like to keep my garden organic. Do you carry spray that doesn't contain any pesticides?"

Oh God, here we go. Few people have the patience and understanding to work in retail, and Jane was not one of them. Surprisingly, you eventually become numb to stupidity, but sometimes the dumb-ass questions she received through her in for a loop.

Her brows furrow. "I don't understand the question."

"I need a killer that doesn't contain any pesticides so I can keep my plants organic," the woman repeated again, somewhat irritated.

"Well, I'm sure there are tutorials online for all natural repellant, but the very definition of the term pesticide is 'a substance that kills insects'." That was from the official _Howe's_ manual, which she got on her first day of the job. It, like the flowers she had received, was also tossed in the dumpster.

The woman's eyes narrow. "I think you're wrong."

"How am I wrong? That's the literal definition of pesticide."

"Oh, you think you're sneaky, but I know you're lying." She wags her finger at the young woman, looking more like a jackass with every passing second. God, it was too hot to deal with this. "Maybe I should take my money to _Home Depo_ t or _Lowe's_ ," she says, thinking her empty threat will make Jane cave in.

Sorry, lady, your money means jack shit to large corporations.

"You can do that, but they're probably going to tell you the same thing I said."

"No, they won't."

Jane threw her hands up. "Well, then go! No one is stopping you!" she cried. If the customer complained to Troy about this outburst, she'd never hear the end of it, but Jane couldn't honestly care anymore. She was sick of having to bend over backwards for self-righteous assholes.

The old woman huffs, turns her nose in the air, and storms off back into the main store. While her back is turned, and after making sure no one else is around, Jane throws up the finger.

 _Bitch._

Her attitude doesn't last long when she hears a snicker. She whips her head around to see two boys, presumably brothers, gawking at her by the fountains. The younger one, who looks no older than seven, blinks, unsure of what she did, but his teenage brother is getting a kick out of it.

Lucky for her, the boys weren't offended as most other customers would, so she wasn't too concerned of a complaint against her. Middle-aged people and young mothers were the worst when it came to that stuff. Still, she motioned for them to zip their lips; the older boy nodded, winked, and then led his brother away, who was still confused over what happened.

Seeing them brought back memories of her and Jaime when they were kids. Maybe, she'd give her a call after her shift was done. Her parents didn't approve, claiming she was a ' _bad influence_ ,' but it had been a month since they last spoke. Perhaps, if she saved up her money, she'd be able to take her younger sister to _Six Flags_. It was a shame it was so expensive because going there was a tradition for the family. They went there every summer after they moved down to Georgia.

God, that place was fun.

As she went back to organizing the plants, her mind wandered back to happier times. Like the time she pressured Jaime into going on the _Goliath_ , or how they used to drive around town on Saturday nights and look for new ice cream shops to stop at. They'd sit on the curb because Jaime was afraid of the moths that crowded around the fluorescent lights of the shop. They laughed, joked, and just talked while they ate their ice cream. Sometimes, they discussed their day and school, but usually, it devolved into everything and anything. Did aliens exist? What would they be doing in ten years? Jaime wanted to be a doctor, but back then Jane had no clue what she wanted to do. She still didn't know, honestly.

Perhaps, once she got her degree, she'd become a writer for the paper or the local news station. Jane didn't have the charisma nor the looks to be on camera as a reporter, but she liked to write, and being behind the scenes didn't seem so bad. Better than _Howe's_ that's for damn sure.

The intercom turns on and it's nothing but static for a second until she can hear her manager. "Jane Johnson, please report to my office immediately, thank you." they say before promptly turning it back off.

Jane's eyes narrowed. Her heart dropped to her stomach. In the year she had been working here, she had never been called upstairs to the manager's office before. With Troy around, she probably wasn't getting a raise.

Oh God, she wasn't leaving today with a job.

* * *

Clementine hadn't been in an elevator in years. There had been a small one in _Howe's_ leading up to the main office but no one used it. After not being managed in how many years, it was practically a death trap. Now that she thought about it, elevators really were just death traps, though. You're stuck in a tiny space with tons of people and if the cables give out everyone's fucked. All the time in the wide open made her claustrophobic. Why couldn't they have just taken the escalator?

None of her other friends share her concern- Duck's leaning on the rail and watching the mall through the glass windows, Gabe's tapping his foot as a Katy Perry song plays over the speakers, Sarah's singing to said song, and Becca's on her phone. Of course, this elevator had to be made out of glass. Nothing was more terrifying than actually seeing yourself go higher and higher. She was much more comfortable on the ground, thank you.

Now, she didn't know if this was true or not, but Clementine had heard from somewhere that if you jump while riding the elevator, you'll be fine when it crashes. Apparently, when you're in the air, you're avoiding the pressure of the elevator hitting the ground or something. She's going to look ridiculous, but she's done worse, and so she begins to hop in place.

Gabe's the first one to notice. He's standing right next to her when he turns his head to see her jumping. "Uh, are you okay?" he asked.

Clementine nodded. "I'm preventing a crash."

"The fuck?" Duck murmured.

"If you jump, we won't crash."

"Clementine, this elevator isn't going to crash." Sarah nervously glanced around the room. "Is it?"

Becca rolled her eyes. "Sarah, come on. You know how many people a day go on this thing? A lot of fucking people. It hasn't crashed for them."

"It could for us, though!" Duck's eyes are like saucers. "Oh my God!"

"This isn't _Final Destination_."

Sarah turned away. "Stop! You're freaking me out now!"

"Jesus, look at what you two caused!" Becca glared at Duck and Clementine. "Now, everyone thinks we're going to die!" She paused and put a hand on her chin. "Going out in an elevator is a pretty hardcore way to go, though."

"We're fine!" Gabe cried. "Everybody's fine!"

Duck knocked on the wooden railing. "Stop, bro! Now, you just jinxed us!"

"We're taking the escalators next time!"

"I heard this story about a girl with her shoelaces undone and she died because the escalator sucked up her shoelace and ate her."

"I did not need to hear this."

It must have been awkward for whoever was waiting for the elevator doors to open to see five teenagers jumping around like sardines. Clementine was relieved; by convincing everyone else to join her, they were saved. Finally, she could save the people she cared about and all was well with the world.

* * *

The walk upstairs to the manager's office was agonizing. Jane's feet felt heavier with every step. She passed by some of her co-workers and tried to ignore their gawking. Their faces were grim. They knew what was coming.

The door was wide open, so unfortunately for her, she had no time to collect herself and calm down. Her manager spotted her peeking in the doorway and waved her over.

"Come here and sit down, Jane," they said, pointing to the chair across from their desk.

Hesitantly, she slowly sat down; her eyes never left her employer. "Is something wrong, sir?"

"Jane, you've been working here for quite a long time, am I correct?"

She nodded. "Over a year."

"We treasure our employees here, Jane. You've been a member of the _Howe's_ family for a year and we appreciate all the hard work you do."

Her brows raised. Perhaps, everything was fine after all. She was worrying over nothing. What if she was getting a raise? Jane bit her lip in excitement at the mere thought of it. "Thank you, sir. I'm glad to be here."

"This is why it pains me to do this."

Time seemed to stop.

 _No._

 ** _No,_ _please._**

"As you know, we've been having some financial troubles lately," her manager continued. "Competitors like _Lowe's_ and _Home Depot_ are beating us in the garden department and _Ace's Hardware's_ got us in home improvement. Corporate has already closed down fifteen stores in the past month."

"I don't understand, what does this mean for me?" Jane asked though she knew full well where this was going.

Her manager folded their hands and leaned forward. "Corporate wants us to let people go so we can focus on running the store and not people's pay. It sucks, I know, but there's nothing I can do."

"Why me?" It came out as a whisper.

"I talked it over with Troy. He said it would be good for you in the end- it would allow you to move on to brighter opportunities." They sighed. "Don't think we're targeting you, other people are being laid off as well. Troy and I discussed this for hours."

She bolted out of her chair, running a hand frantically through her hair. "You don't understand, I need this job!" she cried.

"I'm sure you'll find another place of employment. I'm sorry, Jane, but there's nothing I can do. Other people are losing their jobs as well, but I'm not bending the rules for them, so imagine the fallout if I did it for you. Corporate would have my head."

"I won't be able to pay the bills!"

"Not my problem, Jane."

"Troy targeted me for a reason. Just let me explain what happened-"

"Get out of my office, Jane."

"Please," she pleaded. "Please, you have to listen to me!"

"If you don't leave I'm calling the police."

She glared at them and threw off her apron, leaving it a crumpled heap on the ground. Then, she threw off her name tag, chucking it in the trash. Her now former boss scowled.

"Can you pick those up?"

"Sorry, you can't tell me to do shit. I don't work here anymore, remember?" she hissed. "You fired me."

"Troy was right. I should have fired you months ago."

"You know what?" She flipped him off as she slowly stepped back into the hallway. "Fuck you and fuck him, too! Glad I can say that now! You can't do shit, motherfucker!"

"I swear to God, if you don't get out of my office I'll call the cops."

Jane slammed the door shut so hard the posts on the board on the walls shook. Fuck that guy. She always did hate him. In fact, she hated this whole fucking place and everyone in it! No more sweating her ass off in ninety-degree weather. She was out of here, fuckers! No wonder they were going bankrupt, their staff was made up of spineless, unorganized ass-hats!

She stormed to the front doors. Some of the workers gasped and put hand to their mouths in terror. Others, on the other hand, smirked. Douchebags. Little did they know they probably were about to lose their jobs. She wished she could see those smiles wiped off their faces.

Troy, who had been lurking around the checkout aisles, attempted to reach and comfort her in a pathetic attempt to be a hero. "Don't fucking touch me," she growled, swatting his arm away. He was the reason she was out of a job in the first place- he did this on purpose.

"Oh, Mary-Jane, what's the matter, darling?" He smiled as she gave him the finger. God, his rat face made her sick. "I think you're being irrational here. In the end, this will be better for you. You'll see."

"Fuck off, dick."

Before he can respond, she's outside. The confidence she had for a moment dissipates as thoughts about her future begin to flood her mind. How will she pay the bills? Where can she get another job? What will happen when school starts? What if her family finds out?

There are no walls, but it feels like everything's closing in on her. She's got to get to her car. She's got to get away from gawkers, this fucking store, and this plaza. She needs to go home. She sprints across the parking lot to her old, beat up _1999 Toyota Camry_. Her eyes begin to blur and well up, she didn't even realize she was crying until she managed to get into the driver's seat.

"Fuck!" she bawled, slamming her fist down on the horn, causing several people walking by to jump. She hated crying. Now, here she was snotting all over her car and herself. It just made her even more upset.

Would _Spencer's_ hire her? God, how desperate was she to have to hope _Spencer's_ would pick her up? She rested her head down on the wheel and sobbed.

Her phone vibrates. Jane reached over to grab it, her blood boiled when she read the message.

 _Troy: hey now you have all the time in the world to be with me._

* * *

 _ **A/N: God, Jane's story arc is so dark and I promise it won't be for much longer. I can't wait to get rid of Troy. Originally, Troy's relationship with Jane was supposed to be a lot darker in the game to the point where he harasses her, so her shooting him in the dick is probably left over from that. Shit's personal. Given the now apparent downward spiral of Troy , history could very well repeat itself... It's all downhill for him, folks.**_

 _ **I was originally going to add more with Clementine and Co. In fact, they were originally going up the elevator to go to Spencer's and meet Eddie and Wyatt. I feel like given what's going on with Jane, it would be too jarring and out of place, so we'll get that another time.**_


	16. Cupid's Chokehold

Life throws curveballs at you. You may think you have everything planned out, but sometimes the universe, or whoever the fuck is running the show sees you and says "Fuck you" before deciding to remind you they're in the driver's seat of your destiny- not you. Given Molly's realism, or at least that's what she considered it to be, she should have seen it coming. She should have known never to prepare too far into the future and thinking that you'll know exactly how your life will turn out is a huge mistake.

She had planned, or at least hoped, that after graduating college and getting her job, she would save up enough money for a nice house (because as much as she loved Sandra, living with her was a nightmare) and enjoy life as a newly debt-free, single young millennial. Her parents had married young- straight out of college- and while their marriage was solid, Molly didn't want to rush in to have a family so fast. If it happened, it happened, but she wanted to wait until she was ready and met a nice, hopefully, good-looking guy.

Her parents had pressured her for grandchildren for years, always inquiring every time she visited or called if she was dating anyone, and the answer was always the same. A big fat no. She had tried to appease them before and it ended in one disastrous relationship after another. One ex-boyfriend used to dirty talk to her in Klingon during an intense love-making session in bed, another became convinced he would be the next Eminem, changed his name to Biggie G, and rapped about how hard his life was 'on the streets' even though he lived in the upper-crusts of Savannah. Don't even get her started about the kleptomaniac and the ex that got his dog to lick peanut butter out of his asshole for internet infamy. Molly simply noted that she had terrible taste and should never date again; her parents agreed at the point it was probably for the best, too. During her two-year stay in Atlanta, she was doing pretty good, too.

Then, Nick came along.

Nick encompassed everything in a man she avoided like the plague back in Savannah. He was shy, had some pretty noticeable self-esteem issues, completely average, almost homely looking, and wore a mullet far past their prime. All her exes were loud, obnoxious, too confident in themselves, and didn't look like a reject Trailer Park Boy. They were more of your typical frat boy, which would make sense because this was back in her early college days. Most of the guys she meant were from the university in town. It was odd to think that four years ago, back in Savannah, if she had seen Nick on the street, she would've waited until he was out of view and mocked him to her sister. God, he even wore camo pants in August. Who does that?

Hot damn did he look good in them, though.

Molly had found herself attracted to him the moment he ripped her toenail off because he was too distracted by fucking _Ghostbusters_ juice pouches. The man had some good taste when it came to shitty, unhealthy junk food. _Spongebob Mac and Cheese_? Sign her the fuck up! On a serious note, it was his personality that really drew her in. He was like a puppy: awkward in his body, desperate for love and attention, had a bit of a temper but his bark was far bigger than his non-existent bite and even shared the same large, sad eyes her old dog Biscuit had. He was adorable. And hot, or at least she considered him hot, he wasn't exactly Sandra's idea of a dream guy- Channing Tatum and Ryan Reynolds were.

Nick was unconventionally attractive- definitely an acquired taste. It was sort of like wine tasting, you know? Some people are into Chardonnay, others are into pinot noir, and she had discovered the overlooked, cheap, boxed wine at the liquor store for four bucks. It may have been looked down by snobs, but she had found gold and she had it- him- all to herself. His broad, hunched shoulders that were far too big for his lanky body, his long, bowed legs, his slightly crooked nose, and mullet were absolutely perfect to her. Actually, he was probably the only guy who looked good in a mullet.

After the success of their first date (even though she was nearly an hour late for it), Molly couldn't help but hope that the weekend at the cabin could lead to something more. Much more. Like 'kissing stuff,' as Hilda used to refer to it as during her middle school years. Maybe, if she was lucky, there would be lots and lots of 'kissing stuff.'

Perhaps, she was rushing things. They hadn't even had a first kiss yet and this weekend would only mark their second date, but Molly really, really liked Nick. As long as there was protection, and no dirty talking in Klingon, she would have no problem with getting down with him.' They were close to thirty years old, they could have some 'fun' before bed. They just didn't need to get caught by his uncle or any of the kids or she could kiss that approval goodbye. Molly wasn't keen on fishing- she got awful seasickness- but if it meant Pete would like her than it would be worth it. She got some motion sickness patches for super cheap at _CVS_ , among other things, so hopefully, they worked.

She looked at the nearly packed travel bag on her bed and cupped her chin with a frown. Humming in annoyance, she wondered what else she possibly needed to bring for the fishing trip. She had clothes, pajamas, toiletries, one of those bucket fishing hats she got real cheap at _Walmart_ , a thong…

One of those things was not like the others.

Yeah, so she brought some panties with her, so what? If they were going to fuck, Molly at least wanted to get them both in the mood for it. She was too broke to get any lingerie at Victoria's Secrets but knowing Nick, he probably wouldn't care. She also brought a pack of condoms just in case Nick didn't have any on him because she was not popping out a kid right now. People don't think too kindly of pregnant EMT's and she wanted to wait until she was settled before being thrown into parenthood. She hadn't taken birth control in years; her period wasn't too awful and the last time she had sex was years ago, so she was extra paranoid about any 'accidents'. If things worked well, and hopefully they did, she would stop at her doctor's as soon as she got back from this trip and pick up a prescription.

The slamming of the front door signals Sandra's home. It doesn't take long for the redhead to stagger into Molly's bedroom- reeking of coffee beans and stale pastries- and strip down to boy shorts and a tank top before plopping on her bed. She barely landing on her travel bag.

"How was work?" Molly asked, her eyes never leaving her luggage.

Sandra groaned and covered her eyes with her arm. "Awful! It was awful and I hate that place!"

"You used to love working there, though." Molly grabbed sunscreen off the counter and threw it into the bag. "What happened?"

"Fucking _Unicorn Frappuccino_ is what happened, that's what," Sandra snapped, sitting up with a cry. "I tell you, ever since corporate dished out that shitty drink, everyone has been getting one. And I mean everyone." She blew some of her curls out of her face and huffed. "It's not even good! It tastes like the sour, hard candy my grandma gets from the dollar store! There were, like, twenty people ordering it today and I wanted to cry because it's so hard to make and it's so stressful and I hate my life."

"That's rough," the blonde replied, not really paying attention to her friend. Did she pack the motion sickness patches? Oh, it would be bad if she didn't.

"I have glitter in my hair!"

"That sucks, dude."

Sandra, who had been showing off strands of her hair, groaned again when Molly clearly showed disinterest and flopped back on the bed. "Ugh, why even bother telling you this when you clearly don't care!"

"Sandra, I do care," Molly sighed. "I'm just super-stressed right now with this trip tomorrow."

"How can you be stressed? You're so lucky! First, you go to _Disney World_ , and now you're fishing with your man! I'm so jealous of you!"

The other girl rolled her eyes. "I told you that my parents have year long passes down there and they would've paid for you. You just decided not to go, so that's not my problem."

"I had to work!" Sandra cried. "Shut up, you don't have a job!"

"Uh, hello? Starting work at the local hospital next week? Did you forget about that?" Molly retorted. "You can complain all you want about your _Unicorn Frappuccinos_ , but I gotta, like, deliver babies and do CPR and see dead people every day."

"Hey, maybe you'll deliver your own baby in nine months if your sexy vacation goes well."

Molly chucked her pillow at the other but missed. "Shut up!" She cried as Sandra cackled. "Knock on wood right now! I can't afford to have a kid right now!"

"Oh," Sandra said, cupping her face and putting a leg in the air with a smirk. "So, you have been thinking of doing it with him, huh?"

"Stop!"

"You know, it'll be the two of you in the cabin at night… A cabin secluded in the woods… Molly, it's like the beginning of a porno!"

"Or a bad horror movie-"

"I like the porno better."

Molly scowled. "I don't think any of this concerns you, so keep out of my non-existent sex life."

"Non-existent for how long?" Sandra asked and began to search through her bag. "Come on, when you come back knocked up, this will definitely concern me. I haven't babysat in years! Clementine's, like, thirteen now."

"You are not babysitting my non-existent child!" Molly tried to push her roommate away, but Sandra wouldn't budge. "Hey, I just packed everything! We're going fishing, that's it!"

"What, you afraid Uncle Pete is going to catch you in the middle of some passionate lovemaking?" Sandra pulled out a bra and threw it onto the bed rail.

She crossed her arms. "I can't let Pete catch that, Jesus Christ," she snapped. "I got to make a good impression," she continued, grabbing the bra. "We are just fishing."

"Who cares what Uncle Pete thinks?" Sandra replied. "The only thing that matters is what dear ol' Ma and Pa Randall think of you."

"You don't understand, Pete is the only family he has left," Molly frowned. "His mom died last year from cancer and his dad was an abusive piece of shit." She sighed. "His opinion means everything."

"Oh," her face fell. "Well, in that case, don't try to fuck it up, then." Sandra pulled her pajamas out before gasping. Her green eyes widened comically as she dangled her thong, her mouth in an o shape. "Oh my God." she stammered as a huge, goofy grin formed. "Oh my God, you thirsty bitch!"

"Fuck off," Molly said, yanking the panties out of the other's hands.

"You guys are totally going to fuck, oh my God!" She cackled and Molly thought she sounded like the _Wicked Witch of the West_. "What else do we have in here?"

"Stop-"

Sandra gasped and dug further into the travel bag. "Condoms!" She bit her lip and fought back another laugh. "This is just getting better and better!"

"Better safe than sorry as they say…" Molly groaned, rubbing her temple. There was absolutely no point in lying anymore.

"You might want to get bigger condoms if Nick doesn't have any."

"Why?"

"What, you never heard of the saying?"

"What saying?" Molly asked, glaring.

'The taller the man the bigger the-"

Molly chucked another pillow at her, and this time, she didn't miss.

* * *

"You know, wanting to go to a Civil War museum was the last thing I expected you to be doing with your free time."

"Are you complaining?"

"Hell no."

Clementine made her way over to one of several glass cabinets containing old muskets and bayonets. Tracing her finger over the information plaque on the wall, she matched up each gun with a model. It had been her idea to go to the _Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum_ today. Most normal teenagers probably had better things to do than spend precious hours of their summer vacation in an old museum full of old artifacts of a war that ended before their great-great-great grandparents were born, but Clementine was not part of the norm. The last time she had been in a museum, she couldn't even look around the place because of Rebecca's labour, walkers, and the state of her fractured group, which was a shame because Lee would've loved Parker's Run. Hell, he loved this place. He definitely took Carley here for a date, that dork.

Being in a place like this made her feel closer to Lee and Omid as well. Now, she could truly understand their passion for the subject. When Omid used to tell her about it before, promising to educate both her and the baby, she had no idea what he was talking about. Sadly for him, it never happened, but at least now she had the opportunity to learn.

Her dad came up next to her and joined in on examining the nearly two-hundred-year-old guns. He put a hand to his chin, his brows furrowing, and grunted. "Imagine having to carry around one of those things, huh? I can't imagine how heavy they were- especially for kids not much older than you."

"I wouldn't be worried about the weight," Clementine said. "You get used to it after a while. I'd more worried about the recoil and the reload time." She grimaced as Ed's brows raised. Why did she say that? What normal kid in the suburbs knows about firearms?

"Damn, when did you become a gun expert?" the older man asked, impressed. "They teach you this in school?"

She rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, we learned about this in American history last year." Clementine's eyes narrowed after saying that. As far as she knew, she had woken up here a few weeks ago. She had no recollection of anything before that except for the apocalypse and had no education past first grade. How did she know about seventh-grade history and how come it made sense to her? Now that she mentioned it…

Clementine wandered over to a small, pocket-sized portrait of Abraham Lincoln and frowned.

Who killed Abraham Lincoln? John Wilkes Booth, an actor with Confederate sympathies.

She didn't know that a month ago.

Which president came after Abraham Lincoln? Andrew Johnson.

She definitely didn't know that last month.

What was the period after the Civil War when the country, more specifically the South was rebuilding? The Reconstruction Period, which lasted until the mid-1870's.

The KKK, also known as the Ku Klux Klan, was a terrorist organization started by bitter Confederates after the Civil War to terrorize newly freed slaves and white graders don't learn these things. She could barely remember her time in school before the apocalypse broke out, but she definitely didn't remember learning about the rise of the KKK. They definitely don't teach eight-year-olds about the KKK. Clementine's eyes widened and she took a shuddered breath. How the fuck did she know that? That was almost straight out of a textbook; it probably was from one, and that's what scared Clementine even more. When was the last time she read a school issued textbook? Most of the ones she got in first grade were full of watered down stories of George Washington and brief snippets of children's literature such as _Winnie the Pooh_ and _Frog and Toad_. This was from an older child's book- most likely middle school and up.

Ed can sense his daughter's distress and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Clem, you all good, kiddo?" he asks, his eyes will full of concern. "Is this too much for you? We can leave if you want…"

"The battle of Gettysburg was fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania from July 1st to 3rd, 1863," Clementine murmured. "Over 45,000 men died when General Lee attempted to invade the North through Pennsylvania."

"Hey, good job!" Ed beamed while patting her back. "You're smart as a whip, you know that? Of course, you are your momma's daughter!"

"How did I know that?" She looked at her hands in disbelief.

He shrugged. "I assume it's all the money I've been paying for you to have a decent education having something to do with it." He gave her a thumbs up. "You're a smart girl, Clementine. Don't underestimate yourself, you hear me?"

Clementine looked up at him with a frown. "Yeah, dad…"

Last month she didn't have any education past first grade and now she knew the most of the major battles of the Civil War and the periods that came after. This wasn't her underestimating herself; anyone would be concerned if they were her. She was street smart- not book smart.

Everything was getting weirder and weirder and Clementine wanted to get off this wild ride.

* * *

Eddie and Wyatt's apartment was a mess. They were too cheap to buy a new couch and instead, dumpster dived to find an old, tattered love seat. "One man's garbage is another's treasure or some shit like that," they said after Jane found an old condom that was definitely not their's in the cushions. She had to take a full shower after that and contemplated scrubbing her hands in acid. Gross.

The original owner of the place was some little old lady who had lived there since the early 60's with her husband. She had lived alone after her husband's death for years, but one day, when she hadn't answered the phone in a few weeks, her son living out of state got concerned enough to call the police. When they broke in, they found her bloated, decayed corpse on her couch; the worse thing was her cat had been left without food, starving and was in the middle of eating her when the police came in. Eddie and Wyatt loved telling this story to scare the shit out of their friends while they were high, making them believe her ghost was still wandering the halls of their home to this day. They still kept a lot of her old furniture like her fridge, the bed which was now Eddie's, the ugly ass 70's wallpaper, and the television. It was kind of unsettling.

Jane was broke as fuck, so she could sort of understand if they were desperate, but they weren't. Why keep this dead lady's shit when you got at least enough money to renovate? Damn, go to _Walmart_ or something.

She would've sat on the floor, but was too afraid there were mites or worse, so she sat on the nasty ass sex couch. Eddie and Wyatt were coming out of the kitchen with some 'special' brownies. They couldn't cook for shit; most of the time they ate out after Wyatt nearly burnt the place down, but they knew how to bake weed brownies. Eddie can barely keep his hands off of them as Wyatt puts the tray down on the coffee table.

"Alright, eat up. It's my Mama's recipe-"

"Wyatt, you literally got the recipe from the fucking _Betty Crocker_ box, shut the fuck up." Jane grabbed the first brownie much to Eddie's dismay and took a bite. "It's good."

"Why thank you," Wyatt replied with a grin as Eddie grabbed three.

"Shit, I fucking love your brownies, dude."

"Don't eat too much, Eddie. You don't want a bad trip," Jane said as she took another bite.

"Shit, sorry."

Wyatt plopped down next to her on the couch. "So," he began as he went to town on his own weed filled treat, "you got fired, huh?"

"Look, I don't want to go into it anymore," Jane replied. "Can you get me the job at _Spencer's_ or not?"

Eddie nodded. "We can totally get you a position," he said with his mouth full of food. "Our manager is always sleeping in the back; that dude doesn't give a fuck about anything."

"You're lucky." Jane leaned back and prepared for the drug to kick in. "My manager was always up my ass about the dumbest shit. He was corporate's bitch."

"Nah, our manager just tries to get into our edibles and sleeps. It's nice- we're basically in charge, so we can do whatever we want. It's awesome."

She smirked. "We can all be managers together, then."

"You know, it's probably for the best you were fired," Wyatt said, stopping himself when the others both glared at him. "No, no, I mean… losing your job sucks, yeah-"

"I won't be able to afford groceries this week-"

"No, what I mean, this is totally better for you!" the blond continued. "We got AC and no one gives a fuck! It's great!"

"No one's going to blackmail me to have sex with them, right?" Jane mumbled, sure that the two wouldn't hear her.

They did.

Stoners must have super hearing or something.

Eddie dropped his brownie on his plate, his jaw nearly hitting the floor while Wyatt's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?" Wyatt asked. "Blackmail sex, what the fuck?"

Jane exhaled slowly and ran a hand through her hair. Shit, she didn't want them to know. Why had she opened her stupid fucking mouth? "I didn't want to tell you guys, alright," she began.

"Holy shit, were you blackmailed?" Eddie gasped.

"Jane, what the fuck happened?"

"My assistant manager Troy gave me an offer, okay?" she snapped. "He told me if I slept with him, he would give me a promotion because I really, really needed the money." Jane turned her head after saying that and looked over at the ugly brown, floral wallpaper. She didn't want to see their faces. "I did it. I'm not proud of it, but I did it."

"Jesus…"

"A few weeks later, I asked him about it- the promotion. Troy wouldn't give it to me. He told me if I didn't continue having sex with him, he would tell my manager and get me fired, would make sure I never get hired anywhere in this county, and ruin my reputation at school." She bit her lip. "I was scared-"

Wyatt put a hand on her shoulder, but she pushed him away. "You could have told us, Jane. Jesus Christ, this isn't your fault."

"I didn't want you guys to worry about it. I thought I had everything under control-"

"You didn't, though." Eddie crossed his arms and scowled. "He assaulted you, Jane. That's, like, super illegal."

Wyatt nodded in agreement. "You need to go to the police."

"I thought I could, but I don't know now if they would believe me. I have a record, and you know how they get about people with records," Jane replied.

"He sexually assaulted you multiple times," Wyatt stated and she cringed. "You need to go to the police. If it makes you feel better, we'll go with you."

Jane held her head in her hands. "What do I do?" she asked. "They're not going to believe me, anyway."

"I'm just going off all the episodes of _Law and Order_ I've binged last month, but you need to get evidence of coercion," Eddie began. "Like, go through your texts and find as much as you can of him threatening you because they can't say shit if you have proof." He folded his hands. "I'm not an expert on this, though."

"No, you're right!" Wyatt cried. "For once, you're actually right!" He turned to the younger girl. "Does he text you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Perfect! You got a goldmine of evidence!"

Eddie bolted up and slowly got into a fighting pose, his legs shook; it seemed like he was channeling Bruce Lee- if Bruce Lee had one too many. He attempted to kick but tripped over his feet. Clearly, the weed was kicking in. "You can get us to kick his ass, too! We'll do it!"

"Yeah, we'll drive there after he's done his shift and rough him up! He'll never see it coming. Nobody fucks with us!"

"He's ex-military." Jane rolled her eyes. "If anything, he'd kick your ass. No offense, but you guys are way out of shape."

"Not true!" Wyatt put a hand on his chest and pouted. "We're, like, Adonis."

"You guys live off of _Monster_ and _Mountain Dew_."

Eddie shrugged. "Yeah, dude, she's got us there."

"I don't need you guys breathing down my neck." She stood up and held one arm protectively. "Listen, I appreciate all of the help and advice, but I'm not seventeen anymore."

"We only want to help," Wyatt frowned. "We care about you."

"I know, I know, but I don't want you all worked up about me, okay? I can handle this on my own."

"You don't have to do this alone, you know?" Eddie objected. "There are people who care about you."

"I'm sick of people fighting my battles for me-"

"Jane, this is serious shit. You need support-"

She slammed her fist on the wall. "You don't think I don't fucking know that?" she cried. "All I want is for him to go away! I never want to hear about him or see him again! He keeps texting me and asking me out and buying me flowers and I can't take it!"

"He bought you flowers?"

"I think he got me fired so I could 'have more time for him," she replied. "At least, that's what he texted me."

"Okay, that is straight up _Criminal Minds_ shit."

Wyatt stood up and threw his hands up. "Uh, stalker alert! You need a restraining order on him, pronto!"

"That's creepy," Eddie stammered. "He's creepy."

"I don't even feel comfortable going in my apartment anymore," Jane said. "Every time I unlock the damn place, I'm afraid he'll just be standing there or break in while I'm sleeping."

"Why don't you live with us, then?" Wyatt asked. "If you don't feel safe alone, maybe it would be best if you lived with people around you just in case something happened. Cause, like, if he broke in, we could kick his ass."

"I'm not putting you guys through that-"

Eddie grinned like the buffoon he was. "Besides, we can have it be a sleepover and hang out like how was in the good old days!"

"Oh, and we can paint each other's toenails and gossip about Jason Blades while we read _Tiger Beat_." Jane scoffed. "Seriously, it's a nice offer, but you guys don't need to be worrying about me anymore. I'm sure I can handle this-"

"You won't have to pay for rent…"

She paused and pursed her lips. "I won't have to pay for rent?"

"No," Wyatt said. "You can save up your money for after you graduate. You think we'd seriously let you pay rent after you got fired?"

Jane tapped the wall with her fingernails, contemplating for a moment. "Well, shit," she murmured, "you guys got me there."

"So, you're moving in with us?" Eddie began to grow excited.

"Yeah, sure, what's the worst that can happen?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: I want friends like Eddie and Wyatt, honestly. Stoners with hearts of gold and actually pretty good advice, all things considered. Clementine is probably pumped about her first trip to a public pool in years! Pool water is, like, made up of human urine, but I doubt she would care much when she used to roll around in walker guts.**_

 ** _Molly wants to get frisky with Nick at the cabin, but I think she's forgetting Duck, Gabe, and Kenny are going to be there as well. Sandra is the ultimate wingman, though. Also, while Eddie and Wyatt's offer is extremely generous, will Jane want to live with two disgusting, lazy stoners?_**

 ** _Carlos is going to be introduced next chapter and he's just as over protective as before, so good luck not killing Clem. Never mind, she might want to murder an extremely familiar Russian pool boy instead. You can put your new found, unexpected education to use and bore him to death with knowledge of the Battle of Gettysburg._**


End file.
